Description
This fragrant Thai soup gets its authentic flavor from kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce. Pineapples and shrimp keep this soup light and refreshing for enjoying year round.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 ounces dried flat rice noodles, broken into 2 to 3 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk, well shaken
- 4–5 medium kaffir limes leaves, torn into large pieces
- 8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 5 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
Instructions
- Cook noodles. In a 4-quart saucepan, add enough water to fill the pan about 1/2 full. Bring the water to a boil and then add the rice noodles. Cook the noodles until they are just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles.
- Prep noodles. Transfer the noodles to a medium bowl (save the saucepan). Add chopped cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice to the noodles. Toss to evenly coat the noodles. Set aside.
- Cook shrimp. Wipe out the saucepan with a paper towel. To the saucepan, add the coconut milk and the lime leaves. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat then add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are almost cooked through.
- Season broth. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, and broth and return mixture to a simmer. Add the pineapples and the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Cook until pineapples are heated through. Season soup to taste with more fish sauce if desired.
- Serve. Divide noodles among serving bowls and pour hot soup over noodles. Serve soup with extra cilantro and sliced Thai chilis if desired.
Notes
- The dried flat rice noodles are sometimes called pad thai noodles.
- Kaffir lime leaves can be found at Asian grocery stores and some specialty grocery stores. In a pinch, you can substitute fresh lime peel for the kaffir lime leaves. Use a vegetable peeler to peel thick strips from the lime. Use about a 1 x 2 inch strip of lime peel for every medium sized leaf called for in the recipe.
