This is quick, easy and absolutely delicious! Rarely does the average cook have multiple uses for fish sauce and it takes up space in the fridge and smells terrible (of course I have some but I am above average 
) so this is a quick and easy Thai soup that uses fish stock instead of sauce. Gives the soup a somewhat milder taste but still tastes amazing! This recipe makes about 4 servings.
The Good Stuff:
- 1 tsp vegetable or sesame oil
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1-2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, partially grated; partially chopped
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 3 cups fish broth
- 1 (16 oz) can coconut milk
- ½ cup mushrooms (shitake, baby bella, oyster…your choice)
- 1 cup (2 handfulls) peeled, devained, tail off large shrimp
- 1 small bunch of scallions chopped
- Small handful fresh cilantro, loosely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- Slices of hot peppers (thai pepper, Serrano etc –your choice)
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Crushed red pepper
The Nitty Gritty:
- Wash shrimp and set to the side.
- In a medium pot, heat oil add garlic, ginger and grated lemongrass stirring on med-high heat until fragrant.
- Add fish broth, mushrooms, scallions, lemongrass stems and chili paste. Simmer for 10 minutes on medium.
- Add coconut milk and lime juice. Simmer another 5 minutes on medium-low.
- Add shrimp return heat to medium and cook until shrimp are opaque.
- Remove from heat, add hot peppers.
- Serve immediately garnished with cilantro, basil and crushed red pepper.
*if you are storing left overs, remove the lemongrass stems – they will make the soup bitter.
