Allison’s Anti-inflammatory Asian (Fish) Soup

In a large soup pot on medium low heat:

  1. Melt butter and oil of your choice, chop up a few garlic cloves and let it sweat.
  2. Then chop up a shallot and let it sweat.
  3. Grind up fresh ginger, mix in.
  4. Grind up fresh turmeric, mix in.
  5. Add red curry paste (I use Mae Ploy or Thai Kitchen) — I start small (heaping tsp) and then I can add more at the end.
  6. Add lemongrass either freshly trimmed or out of the tube found in the produce section. I squeeze out at least 3 inches. At this point you may need more liquid in the pot so adding a bit of water or stock is a good idea.
  7. Add in a bunch of fresh cilantro. I like a lot of cilantro!
  8. Add carrots, celery, and any hard root veggie and even some fresh hot chili pepper, especially for added immunity. Spicy heat, not just high temp. heat, kills pathogens.
  9. Salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Once veggies are soft, pour in all of the stock you're using. I think if you are filling the pot with water and not stock from a carton or your own, you may want to consider adding in more flavorings from the garlic, shallot, curry paste, ginger, tumeric, and lemongrass. 
  11. Let it come to a rolling boil (not a full one so the properties of ginger and turmeric last) and when it does bring back to low.
  12.  Add in any sliced mushroom. Experiment with different kinds. 
  13. Add in any dark leafy green. 
  14. Cool it down a bit. At this point I like to turn the pot off to cool low enough to put one can of coconut milk or cream in so it doesn't curdle. Trader Joe’s still offers only organic coconut in a can; no other ingredients. Those added gums may bother your digestion. If coconut milk or cream is not your thing, skipping it is fine.
  15. At the same time as adding the coconut milk, add fish or if fish is not your thing, add mung beans or any beans! If you're adding fish, use a mild fish that lives in abundance in your area. Frozen works, too.
  16. Squeeze in some lime juice.
  17. Add in more of any flavor you think it needs. Adding in more cilantro at this point is nice and when you serve it. 

Let me know what your experience was like using your intuition to measure.