bits and pieces

Yes, another Asian dish tonight, but this one is more Thai in style, which is a bit different for me.

The recipe is Coconut Shrimp Soup and comes from the Everyday Food cookbook again, and also available on their web site. It was all pretty easy to make, mostly involving boiling and simmering on the stove, so most of the work was in the preparation. Chopping the carrots, mincing the garlic, and so on.

I halved it to only make 2 portions, though I’m a bit unsure about some of their ingredient amounts. There were definitely more than enough shrimp and carrots when I halved it, and yet not enough greenery and spice for me.

The taste was definitely very creamy — it was my first time using coconut milk in a recipe — and rich, though not as heavy as I’d expected. The combination was nice, but I think I would definitely have liked more of some other vegetable besides carrots. I’m not really into cooked carrots, but I definitely liked the green onions. And I could have added more of the red pepper flakes, because I barely tasted them.

For future reference, here’s the recipe:

Coconut Shrimp Soup
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Coarse salt
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions.