My hubby and I moved back to Washington State from Hawaii about three months ago. Needless to say, we are cold most of the time these days. All I really crave are warm things – heaters, tea, fuzzy socks…and soup. While living in Hawaii we had the luxury of being exposed to the huge Asian influence there, and we picked up a love for those flavors – ginger, garlic and Thai basil. Yum! This soup is a culmination of those experiences. It warms me up and reminds me of Island life.

Please keep in mind that I don’t tend to measure stuff when I cook. The measurements for this recipe are pretty close to the amounts I use, but there is a lot of room for individual tastes in this soup. For instance, if you’re not that into garlic, it’s totally fine to only use 1 or 2 cloves. I recommend that you err on the side of adding less flavors, tasting the soup as you go and adding what you like. Remember, you can always add more when cooking but it’s not so easy to take stuff out once it’s in there.

Ingredients:

4 Cups Vegetable Broth

1-2 tsp Red Curry Paste

1 Tbl Ginger, Minced

2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1/4 Cup Chopped Onion

2-4 Tbl Chopped Cilantro

2-4 Tbl Chopped Basil (The Thai variety if available)

Approximately 1 Cup of Chopped Veggies of your choice! (Whatever you like or have on hand. Some good options are: Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Carrots, Red or Green Bell Pepper). Feel free to add more if you like a heartier soup.

1/2 Pound Extra Firm Tofu, Cut into 1 inch cubes (optional)

1 13.5 oz Can of Coconut Milk

1-2 tsp Fish Sauce OR Soy Sauce

1/2 Lime, Juiced

1/2 Package of Rice Noodles

Instructions:

Combine Broth, Curry Paste, Ginger, Garlic, Onion, Cilantro and Basil in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or so (I just leave this simmering while I chop up my veggies and get my noodles ready.) While soup base is simmering, bring another sauce pan of water to boil for your rice noodles. Cook al dente, according to package instructions, then drain and run under cold water. Set aside. Add Chopped Veggies, Tofu, Coconut Milk, Fish Sauce and Lime Juice to your soup base. **If you’re using cabbage, you may want to wait until the last minute before adding it. Cabbage cooks fast!** Cover and let simmer for another 2-5 minutes, or until your veggies are cooked to your liking. This is a great time to get your tasting spoon out and taste test the flavor. Add more herbs, lime juice or fish sauce if desired. Once you’ve got the soup flavored to your liking, place cooked Rice Noodles in the bottom of a bowl and pour soup over them. If you like a bit of spice, add your favorite hot sauce (I personally think Sriracha is perfect in this).

Aloha!