Coconut Ginger Chicken Soup Says Love for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

Flipping through the Edible Hawaiian Islands Winter 2010 issue, I came across a recipe for Coconut Ginger Chicken Soup that combined a lot of my favorite flavors and ingredients. A cross between a Thai soup and chicken long rice, one of my favorite local dishes, the soup uses saifun noodles, also known as bean threads or cellophane noodles. It's chicken noodle soup with an Asian twist. I did make a few small changes--in red italics below.

The magazine says, "Soup is comfort food. This wonderful recipe is a combination of chicken soup with fresh Hawaiian ingredients. You can easily change out the chicken, adding any of your favorite diced vegetables or shrimp to create a new flavor of your own."

Coconut Ginger Chicken Soup

Dahlia Haas, Edible Hawaiian Islands, Winter 2010

(Makes 6-8 Servings)

Chicken:

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup onion, minced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

6 chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch cubes

Heat oil in a medium stockpot over a medium flame. When hot, add the onion and garlic, saute till softened and lightly browned, stirring well, then add chicken and quickly stir-fry till just done. Don't over-cook. Remove mixture from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

Coconut Lemongrass Broth (Makes 6 cups):

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup onion, diced

4 stalks lemongrass, plain parts only, crushed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 whole Thai or Serrano chilies, stemmed not seeded

1/4 cup ginger, minced

6 cups vegetable stock

10 ounces coconut milk, canned (I used lite coconut milk)

juice of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lime

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

4 Tbsp fish sauce

saifun noodles, cooked as directed

1 large carrot, shredded

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

several leaves each of cilantro, mint and Thai basil, chopped to garnish

In the same pan, heat oil over a medium flame, add onion, garlic, chilies ans ginger, saute and stir till mixture is softened and lightly browned (about 5 minutes); add the rest of ingredients, except the saifun noodles; simmer, covered for 30 minutes till broth is well flavored. Remove from heat, strain broth through a strainer, discard the solids and return the broth to the saucepan.

Add the saifun noodles, cooked chicken, and thinly shredded carrot, simmer for 10 minutes on a low flame, season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped cilantro. mint and Thai basil and serve with extra lime slices or wedges.

Notes/Results: Excellent and perfect for the cool, breezy nights we have been having lately. The broth has a lot of flavor and is creamy and good without being heavy. As I am a fan of lots of citrus flavor, I added some kaffir lime limes and the juice of a small lime which gave me the tangy taste I was looking for. I also added some thinly shredded carrots and a topping of cilantro, mint and Thai basil and I would keep these in when I remake it and probably toss in a bunch of other veggies too--just for some variety. This is a very "noodley" soup and the saifun noodles soak up a lot of the flavorful broth--not that there is anything wrong with that! ;-)

Let's see who is in the Souper Sunday kitchen on this Valentine's Day and kick-off to Chinese New Year. Happy Year of the Tiger!

Christine from Kit's Chow is back this week and we were on the same Hawaiian-style chicken soup wavelength! Christine says, "Chicken Long Rice is a classic dish featured in Hawaiian luaus. It is based loosely on a dish of Chinese origin but there are versions of this soup/stew throughout Asia. There is no rice in Chicken Long Rice. Not even rice noodles. The noodles are glass noodles, aka mung bean vermicelli. This dish is comfort food. It is ideal for cold/snowy/rainy days. The glass noodles absorb the rich chicken soup and slither down the throat easily."

"Comfort. Simple, tasty, and full of memories" is how Danielle from Cooking For My Peace of Mind describes her Potato Soup. She says, "This is one of those recipes I've had since I moved out....long long ago. A recipe I called my Nana to get. Now, I have to admit, this isn't her exact recipe. Not that there is anything wrong with Nana's recipe...but you know how it is. We just can't leave well enough along. We have to play with it and tweak it and make it our own."

It's so nice to have Tara, The Diva on a Diet from Beach Eats back here at Souper Sunday and with this delicious Spicy Asian Beef Noodle Bowl. Tara says, "I have no idea how authentic this dish is, or even from what country it might hail. I didn't ask for its passport - hell, I didn't even have a recipe. I simply assembled a bunch of stuff I like and started cooking. The result? A big, BOLD, beautiful soup/noodle bowl that is sure to warm up even the chilliest of days." Come back again soon Tara! ;-)

"Flowers are fleeting, cast iron is forever." Celebrating Valentine's Day with the gorgeous red pot her husband bought her, Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made this Kinoko Nabe (Mushroom Hot Pot). She says, "The pot was perfect for making a Japanese Hot Pot, wherein the ingredients are artfully arranged in a delicious broth. This being my first hot pot, I went for a mixed mushroom style. It is served at the table, often with noodles on the side that can be put into the remaining broth to sop up its goodness. For condiment I served it with sriracha. Yum!"

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes made a gorgeous Thai Mushroom Soup that started as a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Debby says, "I ended up adapting the recipe to satisfy my sudden craving for Thai flavors. I'm very much in the beginner stages of learning how to cook Thai food, and I have learned to love it a lot. My favorite flavors of Thai food includes lemongrass (which I didn't use in this soup), red curry, lime juice, coconut and cilantro." The result? "Stuffy-nosed me took a first taste. Whoa! I could taste it! The red curry paste gives this soup a real kick! I liked it a lot."

The always creative Graziana from Erbe in Cucina came up with this Coriander Sauce Sandwich with Parma Ham in an unexpected way. She says, "I didn't know if I should tell you the true story about this sandwich that-believe me-was a tasty snack.I could tell you that the idea of a peas sauce had some mysterious origin... but the truth is that I made a peas and egg puree for my 13-month-old baby's pasta. It was a new recipe for him... but he didn't appreciate it and I throw it away. I had some puree leftovers... and it tasted good to me. So I added some fresh coriander, Parma ham, and the snack was born."

Lea Ann from Mangos, Chili and Z put a creative twist on a classic for her Superbowl party with these little Muffaletta Sliders. She says, "First of all, I was so proud of this idea. And I must admit they turned out pretty good.I really like Sara Lee Classic Dinner rolls for any slider recipe that I make. My Muffaletta sliders were built with alternating two layers each: Mortadella, Smoked Ham, Cotto Salami, Provolone Cheese, Swiss Cheese. I topped the each sandwich with 1/2 Pepperoncini pepper, veins and seeds removed, and a slather of the olive tapenade."

Some great soups and sandwiches this week! Mahalo to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich to share, click on the Souper Sundays logo on the sidebar for all of the details.

Have a great week!