Thai Red Curry Soup

4.54 from 15 votes

Thai Red Curry Soup recipe is a hearty, healthy, rich and creamy soup that can be made in less than 30 minutes in the instant pot. Filled with vegges and your favorite protein like chicken, its a perfect dinner dish.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: people

Calories: 629kcal

Author: Aneesha Gupta

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

For Pressure Cooking:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut in 1 inch pieces - use Tofu for vegetarian soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Maesri Thai red curry paste adjust to taste, it's a bit on the spicier side
2 cloves garlic minced, or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ inch ginger minced
3 cups chicken broth or Vegetable Broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce for vegetarian
½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
1 stalk of lemongrass cut into 3-4 pieces
½ a bunch of cilantro to be added as-is

Add after opening lid (on SAUTE mode)

4 oz. Pad Thai brown rice noodles - ½ of (8oz.) box, or any rice noodles
½ cup fresh Thai basil leaves or regular basil
1 small onion sliced (about ½ cup)
1 small bell pepper sliced (about ½ cup)
1 zucchini sliced in half-moons (about ½ cup)
1 carrot sliced in half-moons about ½ cup
1 can cut baby corn rinsed and drained
1 can Coconut Milk (13.5 oz) stir well before adding
1-2 tablespoons honey or sugar (adjust to taste)

Garnish

½ lime juiced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep all the vegetables and protein of your choice. Heat oil on SAUTE mode in the Instant Pot. Add red curry paste, minced ginger, garlic, and chicken pieces. Saute chicken with the aromatics for 30-45 seconds.
Add broth and all the other ingredients listed under "For Pressure Cooking". Stir well. Close lid. Cancel SAUTE. Set pressure knob to 'sealing' position. Pressure cook on Manual/Pressure Cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.
Manually release pressure by turning the knob to venting position. If your pot is too full, to prevent soup splatter, turn the knob half way between sealing and venting. This causes the pressure to release slowly and soup doesn't splash through the knob.
Open lid after the pin drops. Using long tongs, remove the cilantro bunch.
Add rice noodles, Thai basil, veggies, coconut milk and simmer on SAUTE mode for 3-4 minutes, or till noodles cook through. Add honey and squeeze in juice of half a lime. Using the tongs, remove the lemongrass stems. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve warm!

Stovetop recipe

Heat some oil in a heavy bottom soup pot or pasta pot on medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken pieces with red curry paste and crushed ginger and garlic. Then add chicken or vegetable broth, fish sauce, lemongrass, cilantro bunch and stir.
Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and simmer everything for 15-20 minutes, or till chicken is cooked and tender.
Open the lid, add the rice noodles or zoodles (zucchini noodles), Thai basil, assorted veggies, coconut milk and stir everything. Cook for another 3-4 minutes till the noodles cook through. Add some honey and squeeze half a lime. Check for seasoning and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro leaves.

Video

Notes

Tips for the Best Thai Red Curry Soup

Add the veggies after pressure cooking. They maintain a mild crunch and add a nice texture contrast to this creamy soup.
This soup can be made with Chicken, shrimp or Tofu. For shrimp, add after pressure cooking and simmer for a few minutes. This prevents them from overcooking.
If adding Tofu, add after pressure cooking, this prevents is from breaking in the soup.
I use pad thai rice noodles for best results.
For Low-carb option, skip the noodles or use zucchini noodles, called Zoodles.
If adding Zucchini noodles to this recipe, add them to the soup 2-3 minutes before you are ready to eat. This prevents them from turning mushy.
You can add more or less noodles based on your preference. You can also skip the noodles altogether and serve this with steamed Jasmine rice.
To freeze this soup, skip the noodles. Freeze in an air-tight container . Add the noodles when you are re-heating it. You can re-heat it in the Instant Pot on Saute mode, or on the stove-top.
If doubling this soup and releasing pressure manually, turn the knob half way between sealing and venting. This causes the pressure to release slowly and soup doesn't spray through the knob.
You can add more or less noodles based on your preference. You can also skip the noodles altogether and serve this with steamed Jasmine rice.

Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition