Low-carb prawn and coconut soup (tom kha)

Low-carb prawn and coconut soup (tom kha) with prawns, coconut milk, mushrooms, lemongrass, ginger and lime – aromatic, creamy and quick to cook.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 12 min
• Total time: 22 min
• Calories: 380 kcal per serving
• Protein: 24 g
• Fat: 28 g
• Carbs: 10 g

Ingredients

• 250 g prawns
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 200 ml vegetable stock
• 150 g mushrooms
• 1 lemongrass stalk
• 1 piece of ginger (about 2 cm)
• 1 squeeze of lime juice
• 3 makrut lime leaves
• 1 tsp chilli
• 1 handful of coriander
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · wooden spoon · ladle

1. Heat the vegetable stock in a pan. Add the ginger, bruised lemongrass and lime leaves and simmer briefly so the flavours infuse the stock.
2. Stir in the coconut milk and heat the soup gently. It should get hot but not boil hard for long.
3. Add the mushrooms and prawns and let them cook in the hot liquid until the mushrooms are soft and the prawns are pink and just cooked through.
4. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and chilli. Season with more lime, fish sauce or chilli so the soup tastes balanced: salty, sour and slightly hot.
5. Remove the lemongrass, ginger pieces and lime leaves if you like. They give off flavour but are rather in the way when eating.
6. Ladle into bowls and serve with coriander and fresh chilli rings.

Good to know

This soup is warm, fragrant and pleasantly light. It tastes of lots of flavour without being heavy. Just the thing when you want something simple that still feels special.

Swaps

Fish sauce → tamari plus a little salt (a soya-based alternative without fish) | mushrooms → courgette (milder) | coriander → flat-leaf parsley (similarly fresh, milder in flavour)

Allergens

Contains crustaceans and fish, and depending on the product, the tamari or stock may also contain soya; for small children, serve only mildly spiced, and during pregnancy always cook prawns through completely and only use safe, well-chilled produce.

Dairy-free recipes