Thai Green Curry Soup with Shrimp | Coconut milk and Thai green curry paste make up the base for this flavorful soup, along with lemongrass, ginger, and lime leaves. With baby corn, bamboo shoots, tender shrimp, and a side of rice this is the perfect takeout at home dinner.
Yay, it’s day 5 of September Soup Month, where I’m sharing the best in homemade soups all month long. I hope you’re loving it as much as I am. The collection just keeps on getting better with the addition of this Thai Green Curry Soup with Shrimp.
So, what makes this Thai coconut soup so good? These specific ingredients come together in such a special way, to make this soup so delicious, so addictive, so perfectly appealing.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- onion – for an aromatic base flavor
- ginger – I keep mine in the freezer and Microplane it frozen. This is not typical but I like it. Galangal would be typically used but I don’t always have access to it and even though ginger is not a proper substitute for galangal, I’ve gotten used to using it and like fresh ginger in coconut soup.
- lemongrass paste – I use paste instead of lemongrass stalks because it’s easier for me to find at my grocery stores
- Thai Green Curry paste – I like Aroy-D Thai curry pastes and Maesri Thai curry pastes.
- lime juice – for acidity and freshness
- fish sauce – for umami saltiness
- Thai lime leaves – I find these at a store that specializes in Asian food. They don’t have a substitutions so if you can’t find them leave them out.
- shrimp – I use small shrimp
- chicken stock – I use unsalted chicken stock so I can control the salt amount with the fish sauce.
- bamboo shoots – you’ll find these canned, see the photo below
- baby corn – you’ll find these canned, see the photo below
- coconut milk – I use canned full-fat coconut milk
- rice, to serve – I prefer Jasmine rice with this soup
- cilantro, to serve – Leave it out if you’re not a fan. Try Thai basil instead.
To serve, make some plain Jasmine rice or Coconut Jasmine Rice. This soup would also be great with rice noodles. I love this soup with cilantro on top and a cup of hot green tea.
This blue dragon curry paste is not my favorite but it is what’s available in my local grocery stores. I have to go to my Asian supermarket to get the ones I prefer.
Substitutions
- green curry paste: try red curry paste instead, it also makes coconut soup delicious.
- corn and bamboo shoots: try broccoli and carrots instead
- Thai chilies: If you’re a big fan of spicy food try adding a few Thai chilies in this soup.
Thai curry pastes in the store have varied ingredients and spice levels, so you might have to try a few to find one that you prefer.
Instructions
Prep Tips
- Start by heating your favorite big soup pot over medium heat.
- Add some coconut oil or other cooking oil and then cook the onions. If you’d rather have chicken instead of shrimp then add the chicken here. One or two chicken breasts will do. Cook it fully, along with the onions.
- Now add the ginger, the lemongrass paste, and the curry paste, and then scoop some of the heavy cream from the top of the coconut milk can and use that to help cook the curry paste a bit.
- Add the rest of the coconut milk, bamboo shoots, baby corn, lime leaves, stock, lime juice, and fish sauce.
- Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for about 10 -15 minutes so all the flavors start blending. (Taste it now and then at the end and you’ll see what I mean)
- Add the shrimp and simmer for a minute or two – it doesn’t take long to cook small shrimp in hot liquid.
- To serve, add some rice to a bowl and then ladle the soup over.
- Scatter fresh cilantro on top. and lime wedges on the side.
Tips for making coconut curry soup
What to serve with Thai inspired coconut soup
I love this soup served with fresh steamed Jasmine rice or rice noodles. Try Instant pot brown rice (leave out the cumin seeds).
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or a pot on the stove top.
FAQs
You can leave it out, or you can add chicken. Cook the chicken at the beginning of the recipe when you cook the onions.
To make this soup vegetarian, leave out the shrimp, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and a vegetarian replacement for fish sauce.
Replacing fish sauce
Thai cuisine blends sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The fish sauce imparts salt and umami in this dish.
You could try soy sauce or coconut aminos, though I haven’t personally tried it, so I don’t know how it would work.
In Winnipeg, there are a few Thai restaurants I’ve been to, but this one makes the greatest coconut soup if you’re ever close by.
Thai Green Curry Soup with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or other cooking oil
- ½ large onion diced
- ½ inch fresh ginger grated
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemongrass paste
- 3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 6 Thai lime leaves
- 150 grams raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 550 ml bamboo shoots 1 can, drained
- 400 ml baby corn 1 can, drained
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 800 ml canned coconut milk
- rice to serve, optional
- cilantro to serve, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium. Add oil, then onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until starting to soften.
- Add ginger, lemongrass paste, curry paste, and 2 tablespoons of the cream from the coconut milk.
- Cook for a few minutes, until the cooked through a bit and thoroughly combined.
- Add the rest of the coconut milk, bamboo shoots, baby corn, lime leaves, lime juice, and chicken stock, and fish sauce.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the shrimp, and let simmer for 2 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked.
- Serve immediately with rice and cilantro, if you prefer.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
This post was originally posted on September 13, 2019.
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