Hello! So our laptop took a bit of a shit, and then it was fine, and then it sort of died again… and now it seems to be working? I think? It’s a FrankenBook at this point–Mr. Something has taken it apart about a dozen times. That crafty man.

Anyway, the end of this summer involved lots of houseguests and lots of housework. Painting. SO MUCH PAINTING. But, as a result, our house looks so much better than when we bought it in May. It’s no longer a weird, fishpoop brown monstrosity. (Why so much brown, former owners? Why?)

It’s been lots of craziness, and there’s no hint of anything letting up.

When your life is absolutely insane, you need an easy, delicious soup recipe in your repertoire whose components can be prepped ahead of time and thrown together in 20 minutes. It’s even better if the soup is spicy and wonderful.

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup (Khao soi)

adapted from Foolproof Thai Cooking: Popular and Easy Recipes from the World’s Favorite Asian Chef by Ken Hom

Note: This is the doubled version of this recipe. We like to have leftovers, so I always make a ridiculous amount, using my biggest stockpot. If you only have a regular sized pot (that holds less than 10C of liquid), halve it.

I usually prep the noodles, onion, and chicken/chile mixture earlier in the day (you could even do it the night before, if you’re pressed for time). Once all of the prep work is done, this soup comes together in 20 minutes.

• 12oz Thai rice noodles

Cook according to package directions (I use the Thai Kitchen brand) and set aside.

• 12oz cooked chicken, shredded
• 4 Thai chiles, shredded (or 2 jalapeños, if you can’t find Thai chiles)
• 2T fish sauce
• 2T soy sauce
• 2T sugar
• 4T green curry paste (again, I use the Thai Kitchen brand that comes in a bitty jar)

Mix all of this together in a little bowl and set aside.

• 4 fresh lemongrass stalks, crushed (I got mine at Sprouts; take out some aggression on these bad boys. They’re very woody and need some encouragement to release their flavor.)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4T garlic, minced
• 1T vegetable oil
• 8C chicken stock
• 28oz (2-14oz cans) coconut milk

Heat oil in large pot. Cook lemongrass, onion, and garlic for 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add stock and coconut milk. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add chicken/chile mixture and cooked rice noodles. Stir. Cover and simmer for five minutes.

Remove lemongrass, and stir in 4T lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve with sriracha on the side.