Thai Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts - cut into small chunks and cooked through
olive oil
1 small yellow onion - diced
1/2 red bell pepper - seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
4-5 cups chicken stock/broth
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 - 1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk - well shaken
3 tsp red curry paste
2 tsp chili paste
3 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP corn starch
2 cups cooked rice - slightly al dente (i used a wild rice blend and boiled in 1 1/2 TBSP chicken bullion)
*Chopped cilantro, basil or parsley (optional)

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add 1 -2 TBSP olive oil. When hot, add slice mushrooms and cook until golden and tender. Remove to a plate, reserving any liquid in pan. In same pot, add onion and bell pepper and more oil if needed - saute just until tender. Return mushrooms to pot and add broth and cooked chicken pieces and heat to a boil. Add fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and turn heat to low.

In a small bowl, whisk together curry, chili and tomato pastes with the cornstarch and 2-3 TBSP water. Stir into soup and heat to a simmer until it thickens just slightly. Add cooked rice, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and also add any additional curry or chili paste to suit taste.

Pour soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, parsley or basil leaves.

Freeze leftovers!!