Thai Coconut Soup

When a takeout craving hits, this is the bowl that meets it. It is built on the warmth of real tom kha, the chili heat left out so your own body sets the pace. It comes together in about 30 minutes, and it is exactly the kind of anchor worth keeping close on a tired evening, real flavor without any of the compromises.

The medicine is in the broth and the ginger. A good chicken or vegetable broth carries the glycine and minerals that support the gut lining, and ginger is a source of warming compounds long used to settle digestion. The mushrooms and broccoli add fiber and polyphenols that feed a healthier gut community, and the coconut milk gives the body the fat it needs to actually use what is in the bowl.

These are whole foods, simmered simply. Before you eat, take a breath over the steam, notice the green of the cilantro against the pale broth, and let the bowl be beautiful. A settled body takes the meal in differently than a rushed one.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 cups chopped onion (omit for interstitial cystitis)
• 4 cups chopped mushrooms
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (omit for low-histamine or interstitial cystitis)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup chopped cilantro

This soup is fully AIP as written. Omit the lemon juice if you are working low-histamine or managing interstitial cystitis, and omit the onion for interstitial cystitis.

Method

• Warm the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Soften the onion, then add the mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes until they release their liquid.
• Pour in the broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
• Lower to medium, add the broccoli and ginger, and cook about 5 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
• Take the pot off the heat and finish with the lemon juice, salt, and cilantro.

Instant Pot variation

Set the Instant Pot to Saute and warm the coconut oil. Soften the onion, then add the mushrooms and cook a few minutes. Add the broth and coconut milk, seal, and pressure cook on high for about 3 minutes, then quick-release. Switch back to Saute, add the broccoli and ginger, and simmer until the broccoli is tender. Finish off the heat with lemon juice, salt, and cilantro. (verify - untested conversion)

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*