Meatball Curry Soup

Curry….people tend to have strong opinions about it one way or the other.  Before we were married, my husband spent two years serving as a missionary in England, where he was introduced to curry dishes by some of the foreigners that he served and taught there in England.  So for him, curry is reminiscent of wonderful people and a time of  his life spent in selfless service.  I, however, had no such fond memories attached to curry and have always been a little scared off by it.  The last couple of years, though, at my husband’s encouragement we’ve branched out and added some curry dishes into our menu.  I now very much enjoy the flavor of curry, but still am a little hesitant when serving it to the whole family.  It turned out we didn’t have anything to worry about with this soup though…I don’t know if it the familiarity of the ramen noodles or the ever-exciting presence of meatballs in this dish, but this curry dish adapted from Taste of Home was well-received by the whole crew and is getting added to our family keeper list!

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

5 packages (3-ounces each) ramen noodles
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 can (13.5-ounces) coconut milk, divided
1-1/2 Tbs. red curry paste (I found mine in a small tub in the Asian section of the grocery store)
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
32 frozen mini fully cooked meatballs (about 1/2 ounce each--mine said they were party sized)
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, halved and sliced
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
2 tsp. soy sauce
Optional garnishes:  bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, chopped fresh basil, green onions

Directions: Cook noodles according to package directions (discard seasoning packets or save for another use.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or saucepan, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute.  Spoon 1/2 cup cream from top of coconut milk and place in pan. 

Add the curry paste, curry powder, and turmeric; cook and stir for 5 minutes.  Stir in meatballs, broth, zucchini, carrot, cabbage, soy sauce, and remaining coconut milk.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until carrot is tender and meatballs are heated through.  Drain noodles; stir into soup.  Garnish with bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, basil, and onions if desired.  Makes 8 servings.  Enjoy!