Every time I pick up one cook book I have, the Food Network's Making it Easy, I am reminded of how forgetful I can be at times. Why, you ask? Well, because I intended to give Making it Easy as part of a wedding gift about 5 years ago. I remember having the gift with me wrapped all pretty and, somehow, it never made it out of the car. And, then, I never saw the person who got married or made an effort to give her the gift. I know. Shame on me. But, wait, it gets worse. I kept the gifts and use them! Yeah, double, no triple shame on me! Yep, I won't even try to make excuses.
Although a food blogger and baker/pastry cook of sorts, I truly don't watch the Food Network much, if at all. I'd rather be baking and cooking than watching someone else do it, I guess. And, lately, I am on a deliberate kick to reduce the amount of time spent in front of a television because it's amazing how much more productive and creative you can be in life without it. Having said that, I remember buying this particular book because the bride and groom weren't big cooks and Making It Easy pretty much fulfills its title. There are a lot of really tasty recipes without super long lists of ingredients and they are set out in really simple steps with lots of solid beginning cook tips. So, despite my shame, I have actually really enjoyed having the book!
I latched on to this soup recipe right away because it is tasty and takes so little time to make. It's actually for Thai Shrimp and Rice Soup, but sometimes I use chicken instead. It's a little spicy and I love the lemongrass. On a cold day, it will warm you right up.
4 cups chicken broth (low-sodium)
1-2 tsp chile-garlic sauce (also called sri racha)
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced on an angle
1 medium carrot, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
1 4-inch piece of lemongrass, thinly sliced (remove the tough outer layers first)
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 lb medium shrimp (no tails, peeled, and deveined) or 2 boneless, skinless cooked chicken breasts (chopped into cubes or small pieces)
2 cups cooked rice (jasmine works best)
freshly squeezed lemon juice (3-4 tbsp)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Put the broth, chile-garlic sauce, celery, and carrot in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the lemongrass, fish sauce, and sugar and simmer another 5 minutes.
Stir in the shrimp or cooked chicken and rice. Simmer till shrimp are done. Or, just stir the chicken in.
Take the saucepan off the heat and add the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve.
