Chilli Coconut Chicken Soup

One of Bob's favorite type of food is soup. I always tease him that he likes "ladies lunch" food, because he's perfectly happy with a bowl of soup and a side salad. Sometimes I'll ask him if he'd like me to make watercress sandwiches with the crust cut off :) Of course I'm only kidding, and I'm glad that he likes soup so much because he doesn't mind if we have it for dinner quite often! This is another soup from my "Quick Short Chicken Recipes" cookbook. I've been making it for a few years now. We used to just eat it as a soup, then I started adding a little bit of Jasmine rice to the bowl before putting in the soup. It gives the dish a little more substance and a nice flavor. Adding rice noodles might be good too.

Chilli Coconut Chicken Soup

Original recipe ingredients:

1/4 cup oil
3/4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
6 spring onions, sliced into 1 1/4-inch lengths
6 chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
2 cups coconut milk
2 Tablespoons lime juice
a little fish sauce at the end for extra flavor, optional

My version ingredients:

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 bunch (5-6) spring onions, sliced into 1 1/4-inch lengths
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
1 15-ounce can lite coconut milk, brought up to 2 cups with skim milk and a few drops of imitation coconut extract (just 'cause I have it around)
2 Tablespoons lime juice

brown (or white) Jasmine rice

Directions:
1. If desired, start cooking the Jasmine rice according to package directions.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat, add the ginger and spring onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Add the sweet chilli sauce and cook for a further 1 minute.

2. Add 1 1/3 cups water and the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add the lime juice, season with salt and add a little more sweet chilli sauce, if desired. If using Jasmine rice, spoon into soup bowls, then top with the soup. Serve with lime wedges.

Source: Adapted from the Quick Short Chicken Recipes cookbook