Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

This is actually kind of a blog post about everything.

First off, have you guys heard about the BYU BLOGGER MEET UP?! I am so excited about it. The blogger meet up I went to in October changed my whole perspective on blogging, and the girls I met were incredible and so nice. It ended up being a blast, even though I was SO worried about it!

You should all come please! Elisabeth, the Awkward Girls, and Brooke, are letting me help with the planning, and it's going to be so fun. More than 50 people have RSVPed so far, so you should totally get in on the action.

I put the button on my side bar, and will keep it up there until the event, so make sure to click on it and check out the details!

 Second order of business, I'm going to sell some of my clothes! I went through my closet this weekend, and will put up a post of clothes/shoes that are for sale sometime this week, so sit tight!

Third, tomorrow is FEBRUARY 1st! Which means that the 14 Days of Valentine's starts tomorrow! I can't even wait! We're going to have some awesome crafts and recipes, as well as some awesome guest posts. So you'll be seeing A LOT from me in these next two weeks. Hope you're okay with that.

And finally, this soup. It was on my list of things to make all last week, and it wasn't until last night that I finally had a chance to make it. 

Let's talk about curry for a second.

Asian food has always scared me a little bit. We rarely make Chinese food around here. I just grew up eating Chinese food from restaurants instead of at home (my mom just never made it!), and I had never even tried Thai or Indian food until I came to Utah (don't judge).

I'm really easy to please when it comes to ethnic food, and Indian food is one of my favorites. I love the combination of curry and garlic and the sweet of coconut and mango and other delicious fruits. I could eat at India Palace every day. But seriously. 

Now let's talk about the soup. YOU GUYS THIS STUFF ROCKS. I know I like caps lock a lot, but this soup will take you 20 minutes to make, can be made on a low budget, and will knock your socks off if you like Indian food.

It's a filling soup that even had Chin stuffed after only 2 bowls. Record people, it's a record.

All of these ingredients, besides the peanut oil, is low cost. And peanut oil is an investment. It may have been 1/6 of our grocery bill, but I know I'll use it again for many purposes, and it lasts forever. I highly recommend taking the plunge if you want to drown yourself in true cooking domestication. 

This recipe has only NINE ingredients, and requires little to no chopping, no sauteing, no stirring-until-your-hand-falls-off-trying-to-make-it-thick, and like I said a million times, is too tasty.

Weeknight meal of champions? CHECK.

Do it to it, lovers.

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 4-5 large bowls

8 oz. lo mein egg noodles (they look like little white spaghetti sticks in the oriental section of your local grocery store)

1 tbsp. peanut oil

2 generous tbsp. yellow curry powder OR 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. yellow curry paste

4 cups chicken stock

1 can coconut milk 

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1 lb. chicken, baked/boiled, then shredded

fresh or dried basil for garnish

1/2 cucumber, shredded, for garnish

Boil noodles according to package directions, drain, then set aside in a medium bowl and toss with 1 tsp. of the peanut oil. 

Heat remaining 2 tsp. of oil in a stock pot, or medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry powder or paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and turn heat up to medium high.

Stir the stock until the curry/oil mixture is dissolved into it, then let it come to a boil, stirring occasionally. 

Whisk in coconut milk (the coconut milk might be separated and relatively hardened, but don't worry, it will liquidize in the soup), and turn down the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer, but not boil.

Pour in the lemon juice and stir, then add the chicken and stir. 

Divide noodles and soup among your bowls, then garnish with cucumber and basil.

ENJOY.