Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

This to-die-for recipe comes from my sister-in-law Rachel Carpenter of John Day. She said it's a favorite for her and her husband Rod. It became my favorite from the first taste! It is worth the effort to find the ingredients you may not have on hand: coconut milk and red curry paste - both can be found on the Asian aisle at the grocery store. Definitely a new treasure for the recipe box!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped - except for a few matchsticks for garnish
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 red bell pepper, chopped finely - except for a few thinly sliced pieces for garnish
1 C. cooked chicken meat, chopped
1 C. uncooked rice
1 pint mushrooms, quartered
2 Tbsp. red curry paste (for less spice, use 1 Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
13.5 oz can Asian coconut milk (lite, unsweetened)
6 C. chicken broth
Optional: 2 Tbsp. fish sauce and a few sprigs of cilantro
Note: Reserve some of the coconut milk, carrots, and red bell pepper (and cilantro) for optional garnish.

Directions:
In a medium soup pot, heat olive oil on medium heat and saute chopped onions, carrots, and red bell pepper for approximately 5 minutes. Add curry paste, brown sugar, chicken, rice, mushrooms and fish sauce stirring until curry paste is completely incorporated (2-3 minutes). Add chicken broth and coconut milk and stir for a half minute. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes, covered, until rice is cooked. Serve with a spoonful of coconut milk added on top with a few matchstick carrots and a slice of red bell pepper for garnish. Enjoy!