Thai Red Curry Coconut King Trumpet Soup

This fragrant, bright, and spicy soup is the perfect food to warm up from the winter blues. Garlic, ginger, and lemongrass complement the aromatic Thai red curry paste perfectly, and the meaty King Trumpet mushrooms and chewy rice noodles soak up all the goodness!

Makes: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 8 ounces RI Mushroom Co. King Trumpet mushrooms, diced (keep the caps whole)

• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (~2-3 cloves)

• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced

• ¼ cup Thai red curry paste

• 1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock

• ½ cup coconut milk, unsweetened

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 (4-inch) knob of lemongrass, crushed (optional)

• 2 teaspoons white sugar

• 2 ounces Pad Thai rice noodles, uncooked

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• ⅓ cup red onion, sliced thin, for garnish

• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, for garnish

• Sliced lime, for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium soup pot over medium-high heat, add canola oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add diced RI Mushroom Co. King Trumpet mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to brown and soften, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, reduce heat to medium, and add minced garlic, minced ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and the curry paste darkens slightly, about 2 minutes.

3. Using the back of a knife, crush the lemongrass so it is broken but still in one piece. Stir in the chicken broth, removing as much of the caramelized curry paste from the bottom of the pot as possible. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, lemongrass, and sugar, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer until the lemongrass is tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, break dry rice noodles in half before soaking in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve noodles.

5. Once the lemongrass is tender, remove and discard. Stir in reserved noodles and increase heat to bring to a boil. Cook until the rice noodles are tender, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with thinly sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, and sliced lime. Enjoy immediately!

   Chef’s Notes:

   • This recipe can be made vegan by substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth and substituting the fish sauce for low-sodium soy sauce.

   • If fresh lemongrass is unavailable, squeeze lemongrass is also usable.