Thai Banana Soup

We regularly have bananas in the house. As I’m sure you already know, buying a bunch of bananas is a race against the clock. Inevitably they all ripen at the exact same minute and give you a very finite window to eat them. I don’t know many people that just sit down and eat 3 or 4 bananas, so you’re faced with letting them go to waste or making banana bread (so delicious, but so much effort). Or you can find other creative ways to use them. We recently (finally) got a Vitamix and I’m head-over-heels in love with it. Now the possibilities for our bananas are… well… bananas. You can make this recipe in the Vitamix or other high power blender (does it get any easier?!?) but I’ve also provided conventional directions. The blender version will have a thicker consistency, but if you don’t have a high power blender and want to achieve that consistency, you can blend the soup after cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Peanut Oil
• 3 Tbsp Scallions or Green Onions
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 0.5 inches Lemongrass (optional – I like the freshness this adds)
• 0.75 Cups Coconut Milk
• 1.75 Cups Vegetable Stock
• 0.25 tsp White Pepper
• 3 tsp Soy Sauce*
• 0.25 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Large Banana or 2 Apple Bananas**
• 1 Red Chili
• 1 Chicken Breast (cooked) (optional – makes the soup much heartier)

*Make sure you get GF Soy Sauce. You can also substitute GF Tamari Sauce (the Japanese version of Soy Sauce) or Coconut Aminos. I was very sheltered from the options/differences until I moved to Hawai’i. The difference in flavor and consistency between these and even different brands can be vast, so experiment to find the one you like.

**I prefer Apple Bananas (or even better, Saba Bananas) for this recipe, but you may not be able to find them based on your location. Traditionally, this soup would be made with a banana that’s less sweet than the typical one you’ll find in an American supermarket.

Directions (Vitamix)

1. Place all ingredients in the blender in accordance with proper loading (liquids first, spices and hard things last). If desired, slice and reserve some of the banana to add just before serving.
2. Blend on high speed for 6 mins or until steam escapes from the container.
3. If adding chicken, place the chicken breast in the container and blend on speed 2 just until the chicken is shredded.
4. Add any reserved banana, garnish with sliced green onion and/or red chili and serve immediately.

Directions (Conventional)

1. Prepare all of the ingredients: the scallions/green onions and lemongrass should be finely sliced, the garlic minced, the banana(s) in quarter-inch slices, and the chicken (if using) shredded.
2. Heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the scallions/green onion and garlic. Cook until softened (1-2 minutes).
4. Add all other ingredients.
5. Stir and continue to cook until soup is warm throughout and begins to thicken slightly; approximately 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with sliced green onion and/or red chili and serve immediately.