Bali soup

I spent my birthday last year in Bali and it was nothing short of incredible. I could go on and on. The food was lovely, but not really my thing. I'm more of a cheeseburger girl. By the end of the trip, I was ready to be done with the rabbit food and get back to some meat. On the last night, we all ate together at a tiny little restaurant called The Melting Wok. The menu was limited and all pretty rabbit food like, so I just ordered what our guide recommended, not really expecting much. That soup turned out to be hands down one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. I begged the owner for the recipe, but she was unwilling to run the risk that I would move to Bali and open up a restaurant of my own with which she simply could not compete. Or something.

Anyhow, I was faced with the daunting task of replicating the recipe myself. Having never done much experimenting in kitchen, I was intimidated. But I have done it! I could not be more excited about it! I searched for similar recipes and found this one. It was a good starting point, but still required a few trial runs with changes and tweaks to get it right. If I ever get to go back to Bail, I'll go back to the Melting Wok and compare, but for now, I am so happy with this recipe.

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise

1 (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 teaspoons red curry paste

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

Enough chicken bouillon for 6 cups of broth (but not that much water!)

2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass *

2-4 tablespoons sambal (depending on how spicy you like it)

2 (13.5-ounce) cans coconut milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

A splash or two of lime juice

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the snow peas and the spinach for 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add rice noodles and boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain, but reserve 4 cups of water, add bouillon and set aside. Back in the pot, heat oil and add shallots, curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, coriander, and garlic. Sautee for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, lemongrass, and sambal. Bring to a boil, then add coconut milk. Return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken, green onions, sugar, and fish sauce (unless, like me, your husband hates fish sauce and you're not allowed to have it in the house) and cook for 2 minutes. Return peas, spinach, and noodles to the pot and add cilantro and lime juice. Add some more sambal. And then some more. Hmmm maybe just a bit more. Don't be a wuss.

I hope you love this soup as much as I do (which is a lot). My husband says this is now his favorite thing that I make. But if you have suggestions, I'm open to them, so let me know!