The chilly Autumn temperatures have officially arrived, which means my home is filled with the smells, sights, and sounds of homemade soup. It’s a weekly endeavor - chicken soup, chili, gumbo, just to name a few - but perhaps the most beloved simmers this season comes from a base ingredient from Blue Elephant Premium Thai products. You’ve heard my praises before - but Blue Elephant not only helps when I need a hearty, delicious dinner in minutes…but also serves as one of my most highly sought after all-natural, pantry ingredients. The curry pastes are singular, the soups or sauces are delicious, and the myriad dry and canned ingredients have allowed me to fortify my pantry with ultra quality items second to no other.

This SOBA SOUP WITH SHRIMP AND CILANTRO is exceptional, but the fact that you can have a memorable weeknight dinner for the family in under 30 minutes might just be it’s greatest virtue. Rich with the flavors of ginger, lime, coconut, and lemongrass - the TOM KHA soup addition not only warms the soul, it also magically transports the “slurper at hand” to a faraway, exotic, and beautiful place: Thailand.

Taking just such a much needed trip to culinary nirvana is as easy as 30 minutes in the kitchen with the extraordinary help of Blue Elephant. You’re going to love this soup - SLURP AWAY!

SOBA SOUP WITH SHRIMP AND CILANTRO

SERVES 4 TO 6 | PREP, COOK TIME 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, in shells

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large finger of ginger, peeled and minced

1 serrano chili, minced

1 10. 6 pouch Blue Elephant Tom Kha soup

8 oz. soba noodles, cooked

4 cups chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

Kosher salt

Fresh cilantro, whole leaves

Fresh lime, sliced

TECHNIQUE

Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving, rinsing, and setting aside the shells.

In a large pot over medium high heat, heat vegetable oil with sliced onion, garlic, ginger and chili until fragrant - about five minutes. Add the shrimp shells and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often until onions begin to lightly char.

Add the Blue Elephant Tom Kha soup to the onion mixture and allow to simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes…until fragrant.

Remove all shrimp peels and transfer the remaining contents of the pot to a food processor and puree on high until smooth. Add processed mixture back to the pot and add chicken stock, whisk to combine over medium heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Season to taste with salt, then add peeled shrimp and cooked soba noodles. Cook until shrimp is pink and plump, the ladle soup with noodles into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges.