Ithaca has been carrying on a hot love affair with elegant Thai cuisine for almost thirty years. It’s inspired some of our most popular dishes, but we attempt to emulate Thai-style dishes with great humility. This simple, naturally vegan and gluten-free chowder features classic ingredients like potatoes and sweet corn, but simmered with coconut milk, fresh ginger, and aromatic Thai basil and sparked with jalapeño. This soup is good without the cilantro or mint garnishes, but with them, it’s divine.
Yields about 8 cups
Serves 4
Time: about 1 hour
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
1½ cups chopped onions
1 fresh hot pepper, minced and seeded for a milder “hot,” or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
2½ cups diced potatoes
3 cups vegetable stock
3½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (one 1-pound bag frozen)
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (Thai basil is best, but Italian basil is fine, too)
Hot pepper sauce or Chinese chili paste (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro, and/or mint, for garnish (optional)
Warm the oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and hot pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the bell peppers and salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Add the ginger, potatoes, and stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, and basil and remove from the heat.
Using a blender or an immersion blender, purée about half the soup. Stir the purée back into the pot. Season with salt to taste, and, if you want it spicier, add some hot pepper sauce or Chinese chili paste.
Garnish with lime, fresh cilantro, and/or mint, if desired.
Serve with Kelp Noodle Salad for a nice meal.