Hot and Sour Coconut Soup

Infuse a simple base of canned chicken broth with authentic Thai flavors of ginger, cilantro, garlic, and lemongrass. Thai fish sauce and sambal oelek are available in the ethnic food aisle at most large supermarkets; both are versatile condiments to keep on hand.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  (1-inch) slices peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 3  garlic cloves, halved
• 2  (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  (10-inch) stalks fresh lemongrass, each cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1  cup  light coconut milk
• 1  tablespoon  Thai fish sauce
• 2  teaspoons  sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
• 8  ounces  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1  (15-ounce) can whole straw mushrooms, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup  snow peas, halved crosswise
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

Preparation

Place ginger, cilantro, garlic, broth, and lemongrass in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return infused broth to pan. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, sambal oelek, chicken, and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add peas; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in basil and lime juice.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

101 (26% from fat)

Fat:

2.9g (sat 1.5g,mono 0.2g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

12.9g

Carbohydrate:

5.9g

Fiber:

1.7g

Cholesterol:

22mg

Iron:

1.5mg

Sodium:

742mg

Calcium:

17mg