Ingredients
- 8 oz raw shrimp (225 g) peeled, deveined, no tails
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 7 oz rice noodles (200 g) you can also use ramen noodles, glass noodles, or mung bean vermicelli noodles
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 piece ginger grated (1 inch piece of ginger grated)
- 4 cups chicken broth (950 ml) or seafood broth
- 14 oz unsweetened coconut milk (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes optional, for extra spice
- 1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 5 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice plus wedges for serving
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the noodles
- Cook noodles according to package instructions. I used mung bean vermicelli noodles and cooked them by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm water. Let soak for 10-15 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
Brown the shrimp
- Heat coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Drain and set aside. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Make the broth
- Add the shallot to the same pot and sauté for about 1 minute until softened. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and red curry paste and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken or seafood broth. Stir in the coconut cream, fish sauce, brown sugar and chili flakes (if using).
- Add the red bell pepper and cremini mushrooms and bring to a gentle simmer. Let the soup cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the baby spinach and let it wilt for about 30 seconds. Stir in the lime juice.
Assemble & serve
- Divide the cooked (and drained) noodles between serving soup bowls.
- Ladle the hot soup over the noodles to warm them up, add browned shrimps on top.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- For a milder soup, reduce the red curry paste to 2 tablespoon and omit the chili flakes.
- For extra spice, add a sliced Thai chili or drizzle chili oil when serving.
- Store leftover soup separately from the noodles to prevent them from absorbing too much liquid. Add fresh noodles when reheating.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the shrimp for tofu, frying it until golden before adding to the soup.
- Substitute baby spinach with bok choy, kale, or Thai basil leaves. Try rice noodles, ramen noodles, egg noodles, or soba noodles instead of mung bean vermicelli.