Red Curry Morel Chowder

I recently purchased a pound of fresh Morel Mushrooms and was craving Thai flavours so this Red Curry Morel Chowder is the result. It’s hard to believe that I visited Thailand in January of 2020 just before the pandemic started in full force.

As we were leaving the country, Thailand closed the borders to China as three cases of this mysterious virus had made it into their country from Wuhan. Even though a third of the 60 million visitors to Thailand each year are from China, the Thai government defended their border from the get go. But that’s a whole other story. Back to the SOUP!

I tested this recipe once with jasmine rice and it came out mushy. I decided that since I was using fresh morels from Alberta’s Boreal Forests, Wild Rice from the same region would be a better fit. I also decided to cook it ahead and just add it at the end. I bought the fresh morels from Canadian FunGuy, by the way (not sponsored – just supporting a friend).

The remaining ingredients are pure Thai flavour blasts. The end result is a nicely balanced dish with the beautiful colour of the mild red curry paste coming to the forefront. I hope you enjoy my Red Curry Morel Chowder.

I took a lot of cooking classes while I was in Thailand, so do expect more Thai yumminess over the next while. Memories of that trip, like all of life, helps me savour it all.

Red Curry Morel Chowder

Earthy Morel Mushrooms and Wild Rice fresh from the Canadian Boreal Forest pair surprisingly well with the remaining Thai ingredients. When I visited Thailand, I was eating vegan and had mushrooms in countless delightfully, always artful, Thai ways. Using these Alberta delicacies seemed a nice way to fuse the best of both our culture’s flavours.

 

• Author: Karen Anderson
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 – 6 servings 1x
• Category: Soups
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

½ cup wild rice

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 Tablespoon julienned ginger

1 large shallot, julienned

2 carrots diced

½ cup julienned red bell pepper

1 can water chestnuts, drained and julienned

1 Tablespoon red curry paste

1 lb chopped fresh morel mushrooms

6 cups mushroom broth (I used 2 mushroom bouillon cubes in 6 cups boiling water)

1 can coconut milk

4 Makrut lime leaves (I buy these frozen and keep in the freezer and they taste great)

Tip: if you don’t have Makrut (formerly called Kaffir) lime leaves, use some lime zest

1 – 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 – 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Precook the wild rice in the 2 cups of water with the salt and set aside.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and melt the coconut oil, then add the ginger and shallots and cook until the shallots are translucent.
3. Stir in the carrots and cook until soft then add the red peppers and water chestnuts.
4. Stir in the red curry paste until the ingredients are coated.
5. Add the morels, cover with a lid and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until they are soft.
6. Add the broth and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the reserved wild rice, coconut milk and lime leaves.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with the Fish Sauce.
8. Enjoy with chopped cilantro leaves and a wedge of lime.

 

Keywords: Red Curry Morel Chowder

Find it online: https://savouritall.com/2021/07/14/red-curry-morel-chowder/