I tried this and it was very good, but needed that extra ump, I think it was the kaffir lime, which I couldn't find; actually, too lazy to go down to the Thai market downtown as I happened to be rushed that day. Have to make it again, properly.

What does "Bruise the kaffir lime leaf before adding" mean. Should I take it out side and smack it around a bit?

and extract the essential oils, as one would with basil before inserting it into olive oil, in order to make basil oil. Enough to SMELL the leaf's perfume.

What you are actually doing is breaking the cells open.

Science was not my forte, Joe, hence, baking is not something I indulge in. Humidity, sea level not my style....and much too formulatic (is that a word?)anyway. smell, cells, they both work for me! Happy Holidays folks!!!

I also couldn't a kaffir lime and I substituted roasted red pepper paste for panaeng paste (It was in the indian/thai section of my grocery store so I figured eh), but the soup is still amazing.

Love it, Love it, Love it. This is one of the best soups I have ever had. My coworkers agree that this is the best soup they have ever had. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.

This would be good with hot wings and a Thai salad with a hot peanut dressing.

I was wondering because I find the soup a bit rich and it made a lot. I don't wanna eat it all week long as you can understand. I don't want to throw it out either. What can a girl do?

Yes this soup can be frozen. Just one note, if adding cream to a soup, it is better to add it after it has been frozen and while it is being reheated as this will help to prevent it from splitting. That being said, the coconut milk in this soup should be fine. Cheers!

Ok, I'm laughing my you know what off, because this soup isn't going to the freezer! I've been eating off of it all week despite what I said before. I think the soup gets better everyday. I wasn't so crazy about it the first day. BUT NOW, I can't get enough. ......And that dollop of coconut cream just takes it over the top and cools off some of the heat. :D

I live on the tiny Island of Yap in Micronesia. Much of what this recipe called for isn't available here so I tried a few substitutions with amazing success... I thought you might be interested to see how much this recipe can be changed, following the general guidelines and still end up with a superb soup.

No butternut squash here, so I just used a local squash, removed the seeds and cut into 3/4" cubes. The squash was white, so I added some fresh pumpkin to add color.

Cauliflower is rarely available, but today it was... which is what precipitated my determination to make this soup. The cauliflower is imported from California and cost us $6.25 for a small head!! But it was worth it. I think the cauliflower is a key ingredient.

No grapeseed oil, so I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil that we happened to have on hand.

No Panang paste here, nor the ingredients to make my own, so I substituted 1 Tbsp of Sambal Oelek. It seemed a little too spicy pre-blending, but by the time it was blended, coconut milk and the remaining ingredients added, it had just the perfect "after-burner" effect that I like.

No chickpeas available at the time I wanted to make the soup, so i used black-eyed peas.

No White Wine Vinegar, so I just used a little white wine.

No kaffir lime, so I just used some of the local fresh citrus fruit ... which is very lime-like.

Palm Sugar is homemade here right from the trees and I was given some in liquid form from one of the locals. It is thick, black and magnificent! Almost molasses like but with a strong brown sugar taste. I used about 1 1/2 tsp.

I also didn't have any mango chutney, and though fresh mango would have been a wonderful addition, they are not quite in season yet. So I used a couple of local bananas, (bananas here are tiny, but very flavorful) and some sweet chili sauce.

I used 1.75 Qts of homemade chicken broth, and still ended up with a thick rich soup. It was about the consistency of homemade pea soup.

Funny thing is I don't like squash, I'm not particularly fond of cauliflower, and I never eat pumpkin except as a pie, and yet this was easily the best soup I have ever made! and there is nothing else on this island that even comes close! I doubt that this tasted anything like the original recipe, but it was still a wonderful. Full of flavour, nutritious, creamy, and the perfect "kick". This was a nice way to eat my vegetables! This was a wonderful treat for us considering we live in the jungle.

Way to improvise using the ingredients available to you. Glad to hear your soup was a success. Cheers!

I had an amazing experience eating this soup. The Karri Lime Leaf had a major influence on the flavor which I loved. I put in the recommended about of Panang but should have put in a bit less (it was very very spicy). Remember to check how potent yours is. Thanks Rouxbe for yet another major success!