Thai Chicken and Corn Soup

A chicken broth and coconut soup, with fresh corn and shredded chicken, and flavourings of red curry paste, ginger and kaffir lime leaves.

Simple home-made chicken broth, works wonders for the soul, body and this soup 😊 I use it as a base for many a dish and curries, or just simply devour it as is. I make it in its simplest form – chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and ginger. And a couple of bay leaves and fresh thyme tossed in. The Instant Pot is the handy in-thing in the kitchen these days, many would agree. And which is what makes the broth easy to make, just toss in the ingredients in the magic pot, along with water, and let the contraption do it’s work. The broth is done and ready.

I’m on a tasty trip to Thailand nowadays in my home kitchen, incorporating the basic flavours of its cuisine. The fresh chicken broth gives this Thai soup a flavorful depth, married with the other components in the soup. Simple ingredients and available everywhere nowadays. Maybe except the fresh Kaffir lime leaves, which would require one to hunt around a bit. If you can’t lay your hands on them, do not fret, simply substitute the flavours by using the rind of a fresh green lime. It does the job pretty well.

This recipe makes a nice, big batch of soup. The best part : it required the least amount of chopping. Another good one about it : It’s versatile. Feel free to add in any vegetables or meat or seafood. Maybe noodles, jasmine rice, dumplings, to accompany it.

It’s damn delicious!

Servings : 6

Ingredients:

For the chicken broth:

6 chicken legs. I remove the skin.

3 celery stalks

1 carrot, roughly chopped

I onion, roughly chopped

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

2-3 bay leaves

4 garlic cloves

1 inch piece fresh ginger

A few black peppercorns

6-8 cups water

For the soup:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

2 tbsp. red curry paste. I use store-bought.

Fresh corn kernels – 2 cups

Shredded chicken – 2 cups

Juice of a fresh lime

Olive oil

Finely chopped green onions as garnish (optional)

Begin by making the chicken broth. I used the 6 quart Instant Pot.

Combine the chicken and all ingredients for the broth, along with 6-8 cups of water in the Instant Pot. Stir. Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to Sealing. Press Cancel, then press Manual or Pressure Cook and use the Pressure Level button to select High Pressure. Set the time to 40 minutes.

When the cooking cycle ends, press Cancel. Let cool and release pressure naturally. It takes a half-hour or so. Remove the lid. Strain the stock and set aside. The chicken meat is so tender that it will just fall off the bone. Set aside.

For the soup:

Heat olive oil and add the red curry paste. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the corn kernels. Add 6 cups of the chicken broth. Add the kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat.