I was inspired to take coconut milk back to Orlando with me, because I loved the addition of the milk in a bowl of tom ka gai soup that my mom ordered when we went out for Thai food that weekend.
After browsing through the latest issue of Clean Eating magazine, I stumbled upon a recipe for a chicken and whole-wheat udon noodle bowl. The recipe ingredients seemed very similar to those in the soup my mom ordered that I thought was so delicious, so I flagged the page and made the noodle bowl for dinner tonight!
Thai Flava!
I followed the recipe for the most part, but omitted the jalapeños (too spicy!) and cilantro (I didn’t have any) and added extra spinach, cabbage and portobello mushroom. I also substituted Carba Nada egg fettuccine for the whole-wheat udon noodles, simply because I didn’t have udon noodles on hand.
Scoop o' Soup
Soupy
Coconut Milk + Chicken Broth Base
The coconut milk and the citrus juice from the lemon and lime juice added a serious punch of flavor to this meal.
Ryan and I both really enjoyed the interesting flavors and would definitely make this soup again.
At first glance this recipe seems a bit daunting, but it was really easy and came together in a flash.
Chicken & Whole-Wheat Udon Noodle Bowl (from Clean Eating magazine)
Ingredients:
- 1 8-oz. package whole-wheat udon noodles
- 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 1 red jalapeño peppers, chopped (about 1/3 c.)
- 5 tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lime zest
- 14 oz. unsweetened light coconut milk
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 ½ c. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
- 6 oz. spinach leaves
- ½ Napa cabbage, chopped (about 1 c.)
- 12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped (about ¼ c.)
Directions:
- Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Bring broth, ginger, jalapeños, lemon and lime juice, and lime zest to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add coconut milk, chicken and mushrooms, stirring well. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add reserved noodles, cabbage and spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes, or until leaves are wilted.
- Garnish with cilantro before serving.
Nutritional Information:
Make 8 1 ½ c. servings at 232 calories, 5g fat, 29g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g sugar, 20g protein, 116mg sodium, 33mg cholesterol
Question of the Evening
What is your favorite type of cuisine (American, Japanese, Thai, Italian, etc.)?
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Sounds amazing! My favorite cuisine would definitely be Indian food with Greek in a close second!
Sounds awesome Julie! I am definitely a Chinese food LOVER!!! Keith doesn’t really care for it though so I don’t eat it nearly as often as I like! 🙁
Yum that soup looks delicious!! I actually worked at a Thai restaurant last year and fell in love with the food ever since! We got a free meal after every shift so I tried almost everything they offered on the menu and now Thai food has stolen the number one place! Italian is a close second though – I love me some cheesy goodness! 🙂
that sounds heavenly!
I’m totally going to wimp out on my answer, but my favorite cuisine is dependent upon my mood. Mexican and Vietnamese usually are in the top 2 though. 🙂
That looks so good! Very impressive!
I don’t know if I could pick just one….Thai and Italian and Mexican are all definitely up there at the top for me, though 🙂
I love coconut milk and try to find more ways that I can use it any chance I get. The soup sounds amazing. One of my favorite soups is from my favorite Thai restaurant. I love the sweet combo of the milk and lime compared with the saltiness of the broth and veggies. Man, those Thai people really know how to cook! 😉
Too funny, I thought I was the only one who “shopped” in my parent’s pantry!
Also–I know you shop TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Ross…do you ever happen to find the Carba Nada noodles there? I keep looking hoping one day I will see them!
nooo that would be a DREAM!
If I see them, I will let you know. I do pick up random goodies that I see on the blogs there…one can only hope!
oh i JUST bought coconut milk today! i wanted to make some sort of thai dish 🙂 this one looks great! thanks girl
I love GREEK food! I could eat hummus and fatoush (sp?) nearly every day! I love reading all your interesting recipes, I def. need to try this soup, it looks YUMO!
lol wish i could help you w/ the spelling on that one but i have no idea what fatoush is! 🙂
That noodle bowl looks yummy! Italian is my cuisine of choice. 🙂
Jenn
YUM!!! I love Thai but I think Italian is my favorite, by far!
There’s nothing better than a homemade Italian meal, especially if it includes my mom’s sauce and/or lasagna! Too bad the Italians weren’t too worried about “healthy” eating when they created all of these heavenly dishes! 😉
I heart coconut milk 🙂 I looooooooove Mexican. But Thai would definitely be up there.
Oooh… my favorite cuisine would be Japanese (I’m a sushi addict). Followed closely by Italian, Greek & Mexican.
I love love love Sushi and hibachi so I will go with Japanese! I’m Italian so I get a lot of that good comfort food as well 🙂
That looks SO good. I’m definitely going to be trying this recipe soon 🙂
Have you found coconut milk anywhere? I cannot seem to find it/ I don’t know where to look. Also- I keep seeing coconut flour in recipes- have you seen that? I’m thinking I might have to hit up Whole Foods soon for these unique items.
i actually saw coconut milk at my grocery store – but it’s w/ the ethnic foods.
Oh really?! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 I’ll have to check there.
Thai! Pad See Eiw noodles are in my ten top favorite foods list!
I love big noodle soups that are a meal in a bowl! Especially with cocount milk…this looks so good!
oh no i cant pick just one. i LOVE all ethnic foods!
yumm I love thai food! your post has put me in a bit of a pad thai mood actually! 🙂
My favorite cuisine? Ooh that’s so hard! But probably mexican. I love black bean burritos, taco salads, and a million other ways to use my favorite ingredients, black beans, salsa, tortillas!
Very interesting meal. I love all the veggies you’ve added to it. I also did not know that whole wheat udon noodles exist. Hmm..I wonder if they have them in my area..
My fav food is Indian… love it. So sad we don’t have too many great Indian places around me. It’s such a difficult type to recreate! Your soup looks delicious, BTW… 🙂
I love love love Mexican food! But I also love Thai and Chinese food – I think I just love food. =)
Thanks for the recipe. I love Thai.
I like everything, especially AUTHENTIC Mexican or Italian. I looooooove Thai, but there aren’t many places around here for me to go to. So, whenever I go out of town, Thai is always on my list of restaurants!!
MEXICAN! Without a doubt!
I could definitely live solely off Japanese – love the meal!