Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken Cilantro Meatballs

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound ground chicken (you could also use ground turkey)
• ½ cup red bell pepper finely diced (about ½ of a medium-size bell pepper, medium, finely chopped
• 6 green onion halved, if large and very thinly sliced, medium
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste, finely chopped or grated
• 1 tablespoon lemongrass or lemongrass paste, finely chopped
• ½ cup cilantro finely chopped, fresh
• ¾ cup panko crumbs
• 1 egg large
• 2 garlic finely minced, medium cloves
• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika

For the soup:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon ginger or ginger paste, (or ginger paste, finely minced, fresh
• 1 tablespoon lemongrass or lemongrass paste, finely minced
• 1-2 tablespoon red curry paste more to taste
• 4 garlic finely minced, medium cloves
• 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon curry powder mild
• 6 cups chicken broth low sodium
• 12 ounces carrot thinly sliced
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ounce coconut milk full fat, canned
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons water cold
• jasmine rice cooked

For the garnish:

• cilantro mint and/or fresh basil leaves, lime wedges, chopped peanuts for garnish
• peanuts chopped or halved, salted