EASY Lemongrass Soup (25 min)
User Reviews
5
EASY Lemongrass Soup (25 min)
Description
The soup features chicken stock and coconut water as the liquid base, infused with bruised stalks of lemongrass, thinly sliced ginger, and shallot to build layers of flavor. After a brief simmer, tomatoes and lime juice join to add brightness and mild sweetness. Seasoning with fish sauce lends umami depth. The herbs and aromatics create a clean yet complex broth with citrus and ginger notes.
Texture is light and broth-focused, with optional ingredients like shrimp, fish fillets, or noodles for added substance. The lemongrass and ginger are removed before serving due to their fibrous texture. This soup works well as a refreshing starter or a light main dish when noodles or rice are added.
The recipe encourages adjusting seasoning and acidity to taste. Keep in mind the aromatics’ infusion time; too little simmering results in a weak flavor, while longer allows the herbaceous fragrance to develop fully. If adding proteins, ensure they cook through during simmering. The soup can be customized with toppings like fried beancurd, dried prawns, or fresh herbs to enhance texture and flavor complexity.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock Can be substituted with vegetable or seafood stock. If using unseasoned homemade stock, add a bit more seasoning and tomatoes.
- 2 cups coconut water I’ve used both fresh and bottled but, if the latter, make sure it’s pure coconut water. If using fresh, try to get a young coconut.
- 1 shallot a large one, halved and peeled (Substiute: onion, preferably red
- 2 lemongrass cut off root ends and bash with the back of a knife to release the fragrance. No need to slice into smaller pieces- it's easier to remove a big stalk from the soup pot!Pop the root ends into water- leave at least 1 inch on the root- to grow yourself a new lemongrass!
- 1 inch ginger thinly sliced
- 3 tomato Cut into 6 pieces- 4 is too chunky) Don't add too many or the soup will be too sweet. Likewise, if you use cherry tomatoes instead, you will need to increase the amount of lime juice as cherry tomatoes are sweeter than regular ones
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice The acidity is necessary to lift the taste as well as to balance the sweetness of the coconut water. Substitute: lemon juice
- fish sauce To taste. Can be substituted with salt or light soy sauce- the flavour will have slightly less depth but will still be tasty
Optional Ingredients To Add to the Soup
- Shrimp Can poach in the soup
- white fish fillet Can poach in the soup
- noodles or cooked rice
Optional Toppings
- tau kee (fried beancurd)
- dried prawns hae bee, fried
- red chili sliced
- spring onions
- Coriander
Instructions
- Add the chicken stock, coconut water, lemongrass, ginger and shallot to a pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to medium heat and let the soup simmer. You should be able to smell the fragrance of the herbs after 5 minutes, if not increase the heat slightly. Note: if adding chicken thigh meat, abalone, fish fillet or shrimp to the soup, add it the soup now.
- Allow the soup to simmer for another 10-15 minutes to extract all the fragrance of the herbs. Make sure all the meat or seafood are cooked!
- Add the tomatoes and lime juice & allow the soup to return to the boil.
- Season with fish sauce, or salt, to taste.
- The above makes the basic soup base which can be drunk as it is.
- To bulk up the dish into a main, add either noodles or rice. Note: I like to add tang hoon (mung/ greenbean vermicelli) which is first soaked in hot water. Once the noodles have softened, they are then added to the soup. Give everything a stir for 1-2minutes then serve.Alternatively, you could add cooked rice to the soup once the soup has finished simmering to make “paofan” or submerged rice.
Notes
- Remove lemongrass and ginger before serving, as their texture is tough and not pleasant to eat.
- This recipe serves 4 as a side soup or 2 as a main with noodles or rice added.
- Adjust lime juice amount depending on tomato sweetness; cherry tomatoes may require more acidity.
- For an impressive presentation, the soup can be double-boiled with chicken meat in a coconut shell.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 2people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 68 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 68kcal | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.2g | 1% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.4g | 2% |
| Sodium | 167mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 671mg | 14% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 771IU | 15% |
| Vitamin C | 17mg | 19% |
| Calcium | 47mg | 5% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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