You guys! I am SO excited to share this recipe with you!  It is one of my top ten all-time favorite soups!  It has sweetness, acidity, spice and SHRIMP!  Yes, I did say spice, this soup has a little bit of a kick.  Seriously, it’s pretty mild.  However, if you aren’t a big fan of all things spicy, just cut out the red pepper chili flakes and your good to go.

My favorite ingredient in this soup is most definitely the lemon grass.  Have you ever cooked with it before?  It’s amazing!  I love the smell of it when its cut and you can really taste it in the soup.  Lemon grass can be found in most grocery stores with a decent produce section, so if you’ve never used it before, don’t be afraid to try!  Or, if the produce section lacks in your store, lemon grass paste works just fine.  I’m always surprised at the fun ingredients that my grocery stores carry that I hadn’t noticed until I need them for a recipe.

For the coconut milk in this recipe I used Silk brand coconut milk from the carton.  You can also use coconut milk from a can, though Silk coconut milk is much lighter.  You can choose the unsweetened or regular, I find I like both for different reasons.  However, if pressed to pick I would go with the regular because I love how its bit of sweetness plays against the heat of the chili peppers.

This is a simp and fast recipe that takes such a minimal amount of time compared to what I am used to spending on soup.

Instructions: In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Mix together, then add the curry, crushed red pepper flakes and the broth. Raise the heat to medium-high until the broth is at a light boil.  Add the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 3 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, cabbage, fish sauce and noodles. Increase the heat until it comes to another very light simmer and noodles are just barely cooked then remove it from the heat.  Season with salt to taste and squeeze in a lime wedge worth of lime juice. Serve in bowls with a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley and a lime wedge if desired.

Recipe adapted from: Taste Love and Nourish