Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup with Salmon

I. Love. Thai. Food.

So much so, that if ever we have Thai for dinner, you can bet your bottom that in the morning for breakfast you’ll find me chowing down on some curry and rice or pad thai. #confession.

I make a mean Thai Red Chicken Curry that rivals takeout, but I’ve yet to really start honing in on learning to make dang good pad thai. It’s on my list.

In the mean time, I enjoy cooking with Thai flavors even if I’m not making a traditional thai dish. That’s where this dish originated from! No, Thai Red Curry Soup with Salmon is not some thai dish that came straight from the hills of Chiang Mai or anything, I was just craving thai flavors. That, and it’s also a nice change-of-pace way to eat salmon – one of my favorite proteins I tend to roast or pan-sear over and over and over again. We all get into cooking ruts, okay?? I thought cooking it in soup would be some nice variety.

This dish has zucchini noodles!!! Allllll the rage these days. Spiralizing ANY veggie, for that matter, is all the rage. In this photo from my Instagram I spiralized rutabaga and zucchini. You can find spiralized carrots and beets in Hot and Cold Power Salad and spiralized white sweet potatoes in place of spaghetti in Sweet Potato Spaghetti Bolognese. Even I’m on the veggie noodle train.

Be sure and tag me — @shawleesha — when you make L&L recipes and Instagram your photos!

Why are we seeing veggie noodles popping up everywhere? Not because carbs are the devil, and pasta is bad, or gluten will kill you. (Though these might be fears implanted in some and motivating others.) I choose to use them because veggie noodles are a great way to add more veggies to any meal. By adding veggies you’re also adding vitamins, minerals, and fiber too! Filling your body up with nutrient rich food. Not to mention you’re adding color, texture and pretty visual shapes. Some of these add to the nutrition of the dish, and all of these things add to our satiety! Higher satiety means you’re more likely to feel fuller faster, walk away from the meal satisfied, and not over-eat. Heck. Yessss.

If you’re wary of ANY of these ingredients (like what the heck are kaffir lime leaves, you’ve never bought ginger root, or eeeeek curry paste) check out all my notes on where to find them in the store, how to prepare them, and substitutions. Those can be found here –> in my Thai Red Chicken Curry post.

One thing I find so satisfying in dishes is when you have different combinations of tastes like sweet, savory, umami, bitter, sour, salty and spicy. This soup has it all: the zing of ginger; umami from fish sauce, mushrooms, salmon, and stock; spice from thai curry paste and Sriracha; an acidic pop from lime juice; crunch from bean sprouts; sweetness from coconut milk, sugar, and shallots; creaminess from coconut milk; and savory depth of flavor from kaffir lime leaves, stock, and basil.

When dishes hit so many notes, they really hit a home run for my belly. Light yet satisfying, I hope you make and enjoy warming up with this simple, quick soup on a chilly day! Did I mention how quick and easy and ONE pot it is?? Hellooooo. Get souping!! (Yes, I made soup a verb. Go with it.)