Thai Green Curry Chicken Soup

ingredients

4 - 5 chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch chunks or bite-sized slices
Vegetable or olive oil
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (or shallots)
1 Tbsp. ginger, grated or finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (brown are nice)
1/2 red or orange sweet bell pepper, cut into 2 to 3-inch thin slices
2- 3 Tbsp. green curry paste
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 can coconut milk, well stirred (about 1/2 cup or so, or more if you like it really creamy)
1 Tbsp Thai chili sauce or Sriracha sauce
Handful of uncooked Pad Thai Rice Noodles
2-3 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 limes (juice of 1 lime plus wedges for garnish)
Cilanto, mint, thai or regular basil and/or green onions, to garnish
Salt and Pepper, to taste

method

Cook chicken in oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Remove cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.

Over medium heat, saute onion (in same pot) until soft. Add garlic, ginger and curry paste. Cook for a minute then add mushrooms and red pepper. Cook for another minute or just until mushrooms are peppers are softened slightly (you don't want them to get to the really limp point). Stir in chili sauce. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook until the noodles are softened.

After the noodles are cooked, add the chicken back in to the pot and stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, adding salt and pepper, if necessary, as well as additional fish sauce or curry paste, chili sauce, to achieve a pleasing balance between the various flavours.

Garnish with cilantro, mint, kaffir lime leaves, basil or green onions and a lime wedge, for squeezing.