Sweet and Sour Beef Soup

Left over Beef and Pineapple Shish Kabobs turned into a soup with beef broth, coconut milk, and spices served over noodles.

I was looking to make a new meal from the left over shish kabobs.  My husband took some of the leftovers to work for his lunch and I don't like making him eat the same thing for lunch and dinner (as well as I had an idea I wanted to try).  So I turned the left overs into a soup.  The idea for this soup came from a combination of Vietnamese pho and Thai coconut curry.   This made a delicious soup that  was rich in flavor and I would not hesitate to make again.

Ingredients:

1 cup Thai basil leaves
1 Tbsp garlic
1 Tbsp ginger
1/4 cup shallots or red onion
2 Thai chillies
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 chunk of pineapple or 2 Tbsp juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp shrimp paste
1/4 cup coconut milk

4 cups beef broth
rest of can of coconut milk
about 3-4 cups leftover kabobs
thin bean thread noodles or rice noodles
cilantro and crushed peanuts for garnish

In a blender puree the first list of ingredients into a thin paste.  Pour the paste into a stock pot and turn to medium heat until puree begins to simmer.

Then add 4 cups of beef broth and allow to come to a gentle boil.

Reduce heat to low and add the leftover kabobs (cut into bite sized pieces if necessary) and the rest of the coconut milk.  Let cook until the leftovers are heated through and the soup is simmering.

Ladle the soup over uncooked noodles (the hot soup will soften the thin noodles) and top with cilantro and crushed peanuts.

Makes 4 servings, serve with salad or spring rolls (I made vegetable spring rolls with a peanut sauce for dipping, I will post that next time).  Enjoy.