Thai chicken soup

There’s nothing more comforting on a cold winter’s day than a bowl of hot nourishing soup. There are thin and thick soups — thin to whet the appetite before a main course and thick soups that can be meals in themselves. This is a spicy chicken palate tingler.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Rice bran oil
1	Onion, diced
3 cloves	Garlic, choose large ones
3	Spring onions
500 g	Chicken, skinned and boned, meat thinly sliced (Main)
4 Tbsp	Thai green curry paste, or to taste (Main)
1 can	Coconut milk, 400ml, light
4 cups	Chicken stock
2	Kaffir lime leaves
2 Tbsp	Fish sauce
250 g	Green beans, thinly sliced

Topping

½ cup	Basil leaves
½ cup	Coriander leaves
4 Tbsp	Fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, until softened. Meanwhile, crush the garlic. Thinly slice the white ends of the spring onions. Finely chop the green ends.
2. Add the garlic and chicken to the saucepan and stir-fry, until coloured. Stir in the curry paste. Add the coconut milk, stock, lime leaves, fish sauce and white spring onion ends. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the beans and green spring onion ends and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop the basil and coriander and combine with the lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and add the topping just before serving.

See more of Jan's soup recipes

• Creamy parsnip soup
• Salmon tortilla soup
• Celery bisque