Reviewed: Aug. 24, 2003

This was delicious - fragrant and creamy. I followed the suggestion of reducing the water and broth by half to make it more creamy and stew-like, rather than like a soup. I did make some changes: used two tbls. of Madras curry powder and two tbls. of Thai red curry paste, instead of the 4 tbls. of curry powder. Didn't add the red pepper flakes and substituted reduced sodium soy sauce for the fish sauce. Added one large sweet potato instead of the 8 regular potatoes and used lite coconut milk...still creamy and delicious! I let it simmer for about 1.5 - 2 hours and the house smelled so good! The directions didn't specify when to add the kaffir lime leaves and bay leaf, so I threw them in right before I started the "simmer" process.

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51 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

glowsta

Reviewed: Apr. 29, 2002

This is a beautiful soup; I agree with the other reviewer in that it seems to have cross-bred with Thai laksa! I reduced the amount of curry and chili for the children's sakes, and it was just right. The only thing is that the cooking times on the recipe don't do it justice! AllRecipes puts this soup as being ready in two hours, but that's way, way off. Mine was done in under 40 minutes, and that included frying my own tofu! A very quick and easy recipe.

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28 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Morena

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2003

This was great! I made it for my roomates and a few friends that came over. Everyone loved it and it was very filling. I could not find some of the ingredents so I improvised. I used green onions instead of Shallots (one whole bunch), I alos used lime zest and juice instead of the kaffir lime leaves, and I used lemon juice instead of the lemon grass. I also used soy sauce instead of the fish sauce. The soy sause really gave it a distinct flavor. I didn't fry my tofu and it still tasted great. I used one reviewers suggestion and used sweet potato intead of regular patatos and it tasted great. The bean sprouts and cilantro added on top was wonderful it added a new texture and taste. Great recipe I will definatly keep this in the recipe box and make again.

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22 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

uhall

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Nevada City, California, USA

Living In: Irvine, California, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2001

Wowie! The most exotic thing we get out here is beans and rice, so I wasn't too sure what to expect. I decided to make it thicker like a stew, like it says in the description. I once had curry in a Indian restaurant, but this kind seems kind of fresh and creamy in comparison. Really good! My picky eater said it was too spicy, but I have a cast iron stomach, so I thought it was perfect! I had to go into the city to get some of the stuff, but now that I have it, I can't wait to make this again!

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Reviewer:

BILLY B HILLBILLY

Reviewed: Aug. 3, 2006

This was a wonderful and complex soup, very forgiving of the substitutions I made. I used a combination of Maharajah and Thai curry powders, used the zest of one lime for the Kaffir lime leaves, added soy sauce instead of fish sauce, added about a tablespoon of sugar, and added a chile pepper instead of the red pepper flakes.

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13 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

val_squared

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2008

The kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and fish sauce really gives this a truly authentic taste. I am not vegetarian, so I put in almost a whole boiled chicken to my soup stock and did not purchase fried tofu or fry the tofu. I cut fresh tofu into little cubes (about 1/4 of an inch)- like little cubes of cheese. Yummy. This is such a comforting and easy soup and the modifications are endless.

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12 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

The Cookworm

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Marion, South Carolina, USA

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2006

This is very good, I have made it several times. If you can find it, don't skimp on the lemongrass, I found this too be the best thing about the soup. I did add the vegetarian fish sauce, but I think it would be just as good without, and this is a weird ingredient to find (Mine was mushroom based).

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Reviewer:

Hut

Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2001

This recipe is so GREAT! It takes a little while to make, but I had a rainy Saturday with nothing better to do. I love curry, and it really lifts my spirits when I smell it wafting through the house. My neighborhood Asian grocery has a rather large selection of "fake meat," so I threw in a can of braised wheat gluten. EXCELLENT!

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11 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

shaggy

Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2002

Definitelly a great soup. I prefered the stew version suggested by Thu Nguyen. And I reduced the curry amount just a bit (apparently I'm a little whimpy when it comes to curry. But everything turned out perfectly.

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

RENIANN

Reviewed: May 31, 2004

This is the best vietnamese style soup I've ever had! It is better than anything I've had in a restaurant. I couldn't find whole lemon grass stalks so I used frozen chopped lemon grass instead ( about 1 1/2 tablespoons). I also don't much like cilantro so I skippped that and the bean sprouts.I couldn't find a vietnamese style curry powder so I used an oriental fish and vegetable curry powder I bought at my asian grocery store. I froze the tofu for 72 hours before using it, pressed it to eliminate the excess water, and deep fried it to give it a very chewy texture and to prevent it from falling apart in the soup. I also added a few tablespoons of starch to the soup to thicken it a bit. It is fabulous served over brown rice vermicceli. Enjoy, I know I did!

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9 users found this review helpful