Chowder is not something that we ate in South Africa. So I didn’t grow up with it. But on our first visit to the USA we went to Boston and then later in life we went to Thailand – and this chowder has the coconut milk and spices reminiscent of a Thai soup so for its versatility, we fell in love with this rich and filling soup/meal. Enjoy!
Hometown Chowder
Ingredients
2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups bottled clam juice
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup heavy cream
cilantro
Directions
- Chop the shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
- Mix the clam juice and coconut milk together in a heavy stockpot. Add the pepper, salt, garlic, cumin, curry, and ginger. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch to a cup and then add a small amount of the soup dissolving it and stirring it with a spoon to make a paste. Add more liquid and stir until it is thinned to a sauce. Whisk the sauce back into the soup. Add the shrimp. Continue cooking until it starts to bubble and is smooth and thickened. The shrimp should have turned red. Add the cream.
- Make any final adjustments to the soup adding more seasoning or more thickening if needed. Garnish with cilantro.
