- Fry the curry paste first – this wakes up the spices and gives a deeper flavour to the base of your curry.
- Poach the chicken gently – low and slow cooking in coconut milk keeps the meat juicy and full of flavour.
- Let the chicken rest – switching off the heat and letting it sit in the hot liquid finishes the cooking without drying it out.
- Roast your veg – roasting sweet potato and tomatoes adds a natural sweetness and concentrated flavour to the soup.
- Balance your broth – taste at the end and adjust with lime juice for sourness or fish sauce for extra salt.
- Serve with extras – offer lime wedges and fish sauce at the table so everyone can tweak the flavour to their liking.
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- ¼ cup (60ml) neutral oil (rice bran or grapeseed)
- 3 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
- 400ml coconut milk
- 1 bunch coriander, root ends, washed well (handful of leaves picked, reserve for garnish)
- 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised with a pestle and tied in a bow
- ½ long red chilli, sliced (optional)
- 2 (400g) free-range chicken breasts
- 500g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
- 500g cherry tomatoes (or ripe tomatoes, quartered)
- 200g dried vermicelli noodles
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 bunch broccolini, stems cut into 1cm pieces and heads roughly chopped
- 120g firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes (optional)
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar (or grated palm sugar)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges, for serving
- extra fish sauce, for serving
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a medium-large (3 litre) saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the curry paste, stirring for about 45 seconds, until aromatic. Stir in the coconut milk, coriander roots, lemongrass and chili (if using). Poach the chicken by placing the chicken breasts side by side in the saucepan, then bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, then turn over the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with the lid and leave while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The chicken will finish cooking in the residual heat.
- To prepare the veg, place the sweet potato and tomatoes in a roasting dish, just large enough to spread out in a single layer. Drizzle with the remaining oil, toss to coat and spread out evenly. Pop into the oven and set the temperature to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potato is just tender and tomatoes are blistered and collapsed.
- When ready to make the soup, cook the noodles as per packet instructions. Drain and divide between four deep soup bowls. Remove the chicken from its coconut-milk bed to a cutting board, remove the coriander roots and lemongrass stalks and discard. Add the stock into the pot and bring to a high simmer. Add the roasted vegetables, any roasting juices and the broccolini stems. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccolini heads and tofu (if using), cooking for another minute. Switch off the heat, stir in the brown sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Taste — ideally, the flavour is an equal balance of sweet, salty and sour.
- Cut the chicken breasts across the grain into thin slices (or shred thinly) and divide between the bowls. Ladle the soup over the chicken. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges and some extra fish sauce alongside, so your diners can adjust the flavour as they like — adding lime juice for sourness and fish sauce for saltiness.