Quick and simple curry soup

Yes, yes, yes! Another curry dish, my way! Today in Montreal, was a REALLY cold day. The coldest so far. And if you know me, you know that I hate being cold, and I don't really like winter. So when Chuck picked me up after work, I asked him THE question of the day: "What would you like for diner?" His answer was simple: "Whatever you like dear!". Ok. So I have decided that we needed to have something warm in our bellies and opted for an Asian style curry soup.  It turned out pretty darn good. But be warned that this soup is a little spicy! :) You can substitute any of the vegetables and or meats that are in this recipe and make it your own. Better yet, you can see what you have in your fridge and put it in the soup. Just as long as you keep the base of the broth, you can pretty much have fun and create at your own will.

So you will need:

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can of baby corn
• 1 can of straw mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped Thai basil
• 2 cups any meat that you prefer
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp palm sugar, or any other you have on hand
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 keffir lime leaves
• 1/2 can Singapore curry gravy
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken stock

Start by sauteing the onions in the oil for about a minute on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and curry paste (this is usually the culprit for the "hot" in your dish). Stir and cook the paste for another minute.

Add the vegetables, meat (I used pork because that's what I had in my fridge!), keffir lime leaves, sugar, and fish sauce. Stir some more for another 3 to 5 minutes. The pour the stock over and let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Once this step is done, add the coconut milk, and the Thai basil. Turn off the heat as soon as you see the soup simmering.

Another easy-peasy-one-pot-meal!  Tonight I served it on a bed of ramen noodles with soy sprouts. I hope you'll try this one out and tell me what you think about it. Please feel free to play with this recipe and add your personal touch!