Spicy Coconut and Peanut Noodle Soup

I have been sick with the worst cold this past week, and this is all I have felt like eating! Something warm, spicy, comforting... For some reason I always feel like noodles when I'm sick! I am lucky that I have had two very amazing men taking care of me.. my dad and boyfriend! Both have been making sure that I have lots of fluids, kleenex, soup and cold medication! Well, I'm all better now and will be posting more meals! Heres my favorite "sick" meal..

Ingredients

-1 can of coconut milk
-2 limes, juiced
-3 large spoonfuls of peanut butter
-2 large spoonfuls of sambol (more or less depending on how spicy you would like this)
-lemon grass (two 4 inch sections)
-1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
-1 inch portion of ginger, grated
-1 onion, finely sliced
-1 red pepper, finely sliced
-2 tbsp sugar
-rice noodles, 1/3 of a bag
-enoki mushrooms (they usually come on a small bag, I used all of them! )
-coriander, chopped to garnish

Method


Sweat off the onions, red pepper, ginger, and garlic in a large pout until translucent.  Add the sambol, then add your coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice, lemon grass, sugar and and some extra water (I used 2 cups full) and season with salt.  Simmer this for about 10 minutes.  In the mean time, soak your rice noodles in hot tap water until soft.  Add your noodles and enoki mushrooms to the soup right before you are ready to eat it.  Garnish with lots of coriander, and enjoy!

Greg and I got most of the Asian ingredients for this soup at Vihn Phong. I find that that they have amazing prices, and since they turn over much more Asian produces than your average grocery store, Its better quality. Enoki mushrooms are a fun thing to buy from the Vihn Phong.  They are cheap, but give a very sophisticated look to food.  They are great raw, but also nice cooked in soups and pastas.  Just make sure if you are cooking them you add them RIGHT at the end, as they are better with less cooking.  Sambol is something I think everyone should have in their fridge.  Its great for when you want to add a little kick of spice to a dish..  I LOVE it, and can go a little crazy with it sometimes..  Hope you guys enjoy this soup! :)