Wicked Wednesday!

My first date with this soup was about a year and a half ago. At the time, I was working for VIARail Canada, at Union Station. The shifts varied and I had little time to prepare my meals. I often relied on the food courts surrounding me for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One day, a co-worker showed up with a bowl of steaming hot soup from Longo's. I had never seen someone enjoy soup so much in my life. At that time, I didn't know whether he just loved soup, or if there was something special about this bowl. He was eating "Wicked Thai Chicken" soup from Longo's. He raved about it and insisted that I go buy it on my break. I took his advice and became a new person. I ate the bowl, and while it filled me, I just wanted more.

That's the day my meals at Union Station changed. I pretty much ate it every chance I had. Yes, it was the middle of the summer in a building without air conditioning. No, that didn't stop me.

I was devastated when I quit because I had no Longo's nearby to satiate my constant cravings. So, what did I do? I found a recipe and made it myself!

Feel free to experiment with this recipe. Add or remove vegetables, use milk instead of cream, or only use coconut milk... it will be delicious either way!

Wicked Thai Chicken Soup

This time I added green beans to it!

Inspired by: Another blog!

Prep time: 15-20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Your Shopping List:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 medium size red pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (I just grab a handful and don't measure)
4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
2-3 chicken breasts, diced
2 Tbsp lemon grass herb paste (I used Gourmet Garden)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
1 cup half and half (10%) cream
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp red curry paste 
1 1/2 tsp Sambal Oelek chili paste (you can use Sriracha too, or add more chili paste if you want extra heat like me!)
2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups cooked rice (I use brown, and often add more rice because Matt prefers it less liquidy)
Salt & pepper, to taste
Fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves (optional, for garnish)

What to do with it:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat
2. Add mushrooms, and cook until they are tender and golden. Remove mushrooms
3. Add remaining oil, onion, and red pepper. Cook until softened, then return the mushrooms.
4. Add broth, and chicken. Heat through until the chicken is cooked.
5. Add lemon grass, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add cream and coco milk, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.
7. In a little bowl, mix curry paste, Sambal Oelek, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp water and cornstarch together. 
8. Stir mixture into the soup. Simmer until it begins to thicken slightly and has a velvety appearance.
9. Add in cooked rice and simmer (covered) for another 5 or so minutes.
10. Add salt & pepper, to taste. At this point, add additional curry paste, if desired.
11. Serve and garnish, if you're fancy like that!

This soup is pretty much heaven...

Hopefully I see it again soon!

I recently discovered that Superstore also sells the soup. I have yet to try it, but it seems popular judging by the mess.