Thai Coconut Soup

A while ago, my older sister called and asked me how to make coconut soup. I told her it was on my website when in fact, I took the photos but never actually put them on here.

The reason I never saw the pictures to remind me to put them up was because somehow this little cutie was the cover of the album. 

Coconut soup is one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes. It's different but still has the warm and comforting effects you'd expect from a chicken soup. In fact, I'm pretty sure the reason I made this was because my roommate was sick. There's nothing like a spicy soup to knock the snot out of you (literally). I'll give you a warning that this is a pretty spicy soup. My good friend Liz ate over that night and she agreed that I got excited with the hot sauce.

You will need: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce,  4 cups chicken stock, 1 can of coconut milk, 1 bunch of green onions, 2 medium carrots, 2 fresh jalapenos, and 8 oz of mushrooms.

Thinly slice the chicken into pieces that will easily fit onto a spoon.

Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

Salt and pepper the pile of chicken...

Then throw it in the pot.

Now halve one of the jalapenos...

Remove the ribs and seeds (you can leave them if you want a really spicy soup).

Chop the jalapenos into a fine dice...

Then throw them in with the chicken. Give everything a stir while you're at it.

Now dice up the carrots...

And toss them in as well.

Stir it up!

Now squirt in 1 Tbsp of Sriracha. You can add more or less depending on how spicy you like it.

Give that a stir as well. At this point, the chicken should be fully cooked. If not, keep cooking it until the chicken is no longer pink.

Once the chicken is all cooked, pour in 4 cups of chicken stock. Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, slice up the remaining jalapeno.

Slice the small bunch of green onions as well.

This is what the soup should look like after simmering for 15 minutes.

Pour 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms into the soup.

Along with 1 can of coconut milk.

Don't forget the delicious, solid fatty stuff that gets stuck in the can.

Finally, toss in about 2/3 of the sliced scallions. Give everything a final stir and we are ready to eat!

Fill a bowl with soup...

Top with some more scallions...

The sliced jalapeno...

And extra Sriracha. I know I promised to never try to be artistic again, but I lied. The dot of Sriracha was my misguided artistic attempt. I'm sorry.

This soup is great! Enjoy some to warm up after all of this cold weather.

Thai Coconut Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 fresh jalapenos, 1 diced and 1 sliced
• 8 oz of mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add in the chicken, diced jalapeno, Sriracha sauce and carrots. Stir. Continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink.
2. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add in the coconut milk, 2/3 of the sliced scallions, and the mushrooms. Stir and serve immediately. 
4. Garnish with extra scallions, sliced jalapeno, and Sriracha sauce.

Tilapia en Papillote

This is one of my roommate and I's favorite things to make for dinner. We usually make a different version but I was craving some capers and everything else just fell into place. I like this version even better!

This dish is easy to customize for any number of guests and has a beautiful presentation. Plus, it is simple and quick.

You will need: 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 sprig of basil, 2 Tbsp capers, 1 clove of garlic, 2 Tbsp white wine, 1 Tbsp olive oil, half of an onion, and 1 filet of tilapia.

Mince up your garlic.

Halve or quarter your tomatoes, depending on how large they are.

Toss the garlic and tomatoes into a small bowl.

Dump in 2 Tbsp of capers with some juice.

I could eat this on toast.

Pour 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the bowl.

Thinly slice 1/2 the onion and put them in the bowl as well.

Now toss it all together and set aside.

Place half the filet on one side of a sheet of parchment paper.

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, to taste.

Top the fish with half the onion and tomato mixture and a few basil leaves.

Now splash on some white wine.

Now fold the parchment paper over the fish (hamburger style) and make small folds starting at one corner and go all the way around to the other side. You want to seal the package so the fish will steam. Make sure your folds are tight!

Boom.

Now repeat with the other half of the tilapia filet. Place both on a baking sheet.

Bake the packages at 375 for 12 minutes.

Serve in the package with some green beans.

They're really fun to rip open!

Yum! Such a great presentation.

Enjoy!

Tilapia en Papillote

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 sprig of basil, stem removed
• 2 Tbsp capers
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp white wine
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Half of an onion, thinly sliced
• 1 filet of tilapia, cut in half

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Combine olive oil, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and capers in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Place each half of the fish filet on a rectangle of parchment paper. Top with some salt and pepper, to taste. Then top each with half of the tomato mixture and a splash of wine. Make small folds all around the parchment paper to seal the package.
4. Place the packages on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.