Thai Coconut Soup

This soup is AWESOME...maybe one of my favorite soups to date. (And, bore, it's also paleo-friendly, assuming of course, that you have paleo-friendly fish sauce. Red Boat Brand Fish Sauce, found at many Asian grocery stores, is just that!)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 lb. shrimp, shell on

- 1 bone-in chicken thigh (skinless)

- 3 bok choy plants, chopped

- 1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

- 4 cups chicken broth 

- 3 tbsp fish sauce

- 3 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk

- 1 lemongrass stalk

- 2 tbsp ginger, grated

- 1 tbsp red curry paste

- 1 tbsp. honey

- 2 tbsp lime juice (juice from one whole lime)

- fresh cilantro, chopped

- avocado, sliced

A note about shrimp shells before I start. You will never know me to buy shrimp without shells. I'm an avid believer of using as much of an animal as you can, not just because it makes me feel better (and because I'm frugal), but rather there's usually always a good use for each part of the animal. The shells of shrimp, much like the bones of chicken or beef or pork, have a TON of flavor. And if you want to make a flavor-filled stock and soup, make sure to use shrimp shells! More on how below...

DIRECTIONS

1) Peel the shrimp and set aside the shells. Devein the shrimp and set aside in a small bowl.

2) In a large dutch oven, pour in a little oil and heat to medium high. Place the chicken thigh in the middle of the pot, along with the shrimp shells. 

3) Brown the chicken, while tossing the shrimp shells, which should start to turn pink. Do this for about 4-5 minutes.

4) Chop the top part of the lemongrass stalk off, using the bottom 4-5 inches. Slice the stalk in half, lengthwise.

4) Add the grated ginger, curry paste, and lemongrass stalk and stir so that it covers all the shells and chicken thigh. Sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

5) Slowly pour in the chicken broth and stir, making sure to get any bits from the bottom of the pan. Heat until boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer this broth for about 20 minutes.

6) Strain the stock so that all the shells are removed. Pour the stock back into the Dutch oven, along with the chicken thigh.

7) Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, honey, sliced mushrooms and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust accordingly, remembering that it'll be a bit tart once the lime juice is added.

8) Add the shrimp, bok choy and lime juice.

9) Remove the chicken thigh and cut off the meat, throwing the pieces back into the pot.

9) Serve with freshly chopped cilantro and sliced avocado. (Winner gets the chicken thigh bone!)