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Kid's kokonut kitchen soup

Many moons ago, my husband and I ate at the same Thai restaurant week after week. I was inspired to create an easy Thai dish my kids could help me with, and one they like to eat.

Ready

  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • ½ can water
  • 1 can straw mushrooms, drained (asian market)
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 zucchini, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp fish sauce (asian market)
  • 3 slices of ginger
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 3 boneless chicken breasts or 6 boneless thighs
  • 1 cup raw shrimp (okay if frozen/thawed, size U21-25)
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • Pot of cooked white rice

Set

  • Soup pot with lid
  • Rice cooker
  • Chopping boards
  • Chef’s knife

Go

  1. Pierce cans of chicken broth and coconut milk.
  2. Have kids pour into pot, add water, straw mushrooms, ginger and fish sauce.
  3. Place pot on stove and bring to simmer.
  4. While waiting for base to heat, have the kids chop the carrots and zucchini, green onion and cilantro. Adult to chop the chicken into bite size pieces.
  5. Add carrots to pot, simmer until cooked.
  6. Add chicken and zucchini and simmer until cooked through.
  7. Add shrimp, stir until cooked through.
  8. Remove from heat.
  9. Stir in lime juice.
  10. Taste, add more fish sauce or lime juice to taste.
  11. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
  12. Place a big scoop of white rice in a bowl and scoop soup next to it.
  13. Garnish with lime wedges.

What you should know

Safety first! Please be sure your child can handle cutting if you include him—I use a butter knife and let him chop as he pleases.
Use a separate board for chicken! If any of the green stuff cooks too long, it’ll lose brightness (appeal) before you eat it. Other vegetables you have could be added, too.

Re: Kid's Kokonut Kitchen Soup

Mmm! I can’t wait to try this dish! Where can I get fish sauce and what brand do you recommend?

I especially love getting the kids involved. When my kids chop, they use a manual crank-style chopper, or my favorite, the Oxo pump-style chopper. They really get a kick out of it, and it’s fairly quick.

Thanks!

Re: Kid's Kokonut Kitchen Soup

I too had never heard of fish sauce until took a trip to Thailand. I actually brought two bottles back. Imagine my surprise when I found it in the Asian section of my local grocery. I’m betting that any reasonably stocked grocer will have a bottle available.

Re: Kid's Kokonut Kitchen Soup

Be forewarned, Thai fish sauce smells a lot like stinky feet. I like it. But it is potent stuff, and I still do not enjoy getting it on my hands.

Don’t know exactly how to handle this information when there are kids involved. Probably depends on your kids. However, it must be used. It will provide the soup with a much needed base note to ballance the coconut.


Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.

Re: Kid's Kokonut Kitchen Soup

That’s very funny. I threw out a bottle of the stuff once, thinking it had gone bad. I bought a fresh bottle and it was just as stinky.

Re: Kid's kokonut kitchen soup