Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

One of the many things I love about Thai food is the harmonious balance of big, bold flavors, and this classic soup is a prime example. There’s some throaty heat from the red curry paste, luscious sweetness from the coconut milk, a touch of fresh acidity from the lime juice, and a punch of umami from the fish sauce. Caramelizing your aromatics and toasting up the red curry before adding them to the sous vide may be an extra step, but the effort is well rewarded, giving the soup a deep flavor base. The benefit of cooking this dish sous vide is apparent as soon as you get a bite of chicken — tender, meaty, and juicy. Warm and satisfying, this Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup has winter comfort food written all over it.

Author

Stephanie Hua

Stephanie is a food writer, photographer, recipe tester & developer based in SF. She received her culinary arts training at the San Francisco Cooking School and is the creator of food blog, Lick My Spoon (a place for all things delicious). Her work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Fodor's Travel, PBS, Serious Eats, SF Weekly, and KQED, among others.

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 149F / 65C

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 400 g dried rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 149ºF (65ºC).
2. Remove seeds and ribs from the red bell pepper and dice into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Slice the onion into thin half moons.
4. Mince the ginger. (Pro tip: peel the ginger using the edge of a spoon).
5. Cut the garlic cloves into thin slices.
6. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the curry paste, red pepper, onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, until the curry paste is toasted and aromatics begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the water and use a flat edged wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Continue cooking until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
8. Place the chicken, sauteed vegetables, coconut milk, chicken stock, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting. Place in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour.

Finishing Steps

1. About 20 minutes before the chicken is finished, prepare the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. (Mine take about 8 minutes.)
2. When the noodles have 4 minutes left to cook, add the frozen edamame to the boiling water. When the noodles are tender, drain and run under cold water for a minute. Divide between 4 serving bowls.
3. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Ladle the soup on top of the noodles and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Serve.