Thai prawn and coconut soup

Thought soup was boring? Think again with this healthy thai-prawn and coconut soup.

‘I like to get everything prepared for this soup before I start to cook and then I feel like a real pro when I look at all the little bowls,’ says Davina McCall of her Thai prawn and coconut soup from her book ‘Davina’s Smart Carbs’. ‘Once that’s done, the soup is ready in no time. Great with spiralised courgettes if you’re into those or with noodles if you’re happy with the extra calories.’

Ingredients (serves 4)

250ml fish, chicken or vegetable stock

2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped (no need to remove outer stalks)

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 kaffir lime leaves or zest of 1 lime

2 red chillies, thinly sliced (optional)

400ml can of coconut milk

2tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)

Juice of 1 lime

100g baby corn

100g sugar snap peas or mangetout

50g bean sprouts

200g peeled raw prawns

Salt

To serve

100g wholegrain soba noodles or 400g courgettes, spiralised

1 to 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

Coriander leaves

Lime wedges

Method

Pour the stock into a saucepan. Add the lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime leaves or zest and the chillies, if using. Season with salt.

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Simmer the stock for 10 minutes, then strain it through a sieve over a bowl, discarding all the aromatics and reserving the liquid. Pour the stock back into the saucepan and add the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice.

Simmer for a couple of minutes just to let the flavours combine, then add the baby corn and the sugar snap peas or mangetout. Simmer gently for five minutes.

Add the bean sprouts and the prawns and cook for a further minute.Taste for seasoning and add more salt or fish sauce if necessary.

If serving the soup with noodles, cook them according to the packet instructions. If serving it with spiralised courgettes, add them to a pan of boiling water and blanch them for 20 seconds, then drain.

Ladle the soup into bowls over the noodles or courgettes, then add a sprinkling of chillies and coriander leaves and serve with wedges of lime on the side.

Recipe courtesy of Davina’s Smart Carbs by Davina McCall (£16.99, Orion Books).