Two tablespoons of red curry paste cooked in oil for one minute is the whole flavour foundation. Stirred straight into liquid it would taste raw and flat; bloomed in fat first it turns the broth the orange-red the finished bowl shows.
After that it is a forty-five minute soup that leans on a packet. Twenty-four frozen or refrigerated wontons simmer in the finished broth for four to six minutes, which is exactly as long as their own instructions say.
Why This Recipe Works
- Curry paste, ginger and garlic cooked in oil release their fat-soluble colour and aroma before any liquid arrives.
- Full-fat coconut milk against four cups of broth keeps the soup rich without becoming a curry sauce.
- Fish sauce and a single teaspoon of brown sugar balance each other, so the broth reads savoury rather than sweet.
- Lime juice goes in off the boil with the spinach, where its brightness survives.
Ingredient Notes
- Wontons
- Twenty-four, frozen or refrigerated, chicken or vegetable. Their own package timing governs step 3.
- Thai red curry paste
- Two tablespoons, cooked in oil for a minute before the liquid. That minute is where the colour comes from.
- Full-fat coconut milk
- One 13.5-ounce can. Full-fat, which is what keeps the broth from thinning out over the simmer.
How to Make It
Bloom the paste
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook curry paste, ginger and garlic for 1 minute.
Build the broth
Whisk in broth, coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar; bring to a gentle simmer for 8 minutes.
Wontons in
Add wontons and simmer according to package timing, usually 4 to 6 minutes, until hot through.
Spinach and lime
Stir in spinach and lime juice just until spinach wilts.
Finish heavily
Ladle into bowls and finish heavily with scallions, cilantro and sliced chile.
Building the Broth
The wontons arrive fully formed, so the broth is the only thing this recipe actually makes. It comes together in three passes before they go anywhere near it.
The bloom
1 minute over medium heat - it catches quickly after that.1 tbsp neutral oil, 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 minced garlic cloves
Colour and aroma. Curry paste is a fat-soluble mixture; a minute in hot oil is what turns it from a raw red block into the orange-red the finished broth carries.
The body
A gentle simmer for 8 minutes, not a boil.4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar
Volume, richness and the savoury-sweet balance. Eight minutes at a gentle simmer marries them without reducing the broth away.
The finish, off the boil
Just until the spinach wilts.2 cups baby spinach and 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, after the wontons
Freshness and acidity. Both go in last because heat is what would cost them - wilted greens and cooked-off lime.
Then tasteFour scallions, half a cup of cilantro leaves and a sliced red chile over the top - a heavy finish, as the finished bowl shows.
Success Tips
- Give the paste its full minute and no more — it catches quickly once the aromatics are in.
- Follow the wonton packet rather than the clock. Four to six minutes is typical, not universal.
- Be generous with the finish. Scallion, cilantro and chilli are meant to be heavy, not a sprinkle.
Serving Ideas
Four servings in white bowls, each with about six wontons, finished heavily with sliced scallion, whole cilantro leaves and sliced red chile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to make the wontons?
No. The recipe is built on shop-bought frozen or refrigerated wontons, cooked to their own package timing.
Can I use light coconut milk?
The recipe calls for full-fat, which is what gives the broth its body.
Can I make it vegetarian?
The recipe allows chicken or vegetable wontons. The broth itself is chicken broth with fish sauce.
