Gluten Free, Low Carb Main-Course Soup: Grilled Beef Thai
By Green Lotus
Here’s a warm Thai soup that is low carb, gluten-free, delicious and easy to make
If you are looking for easy, healthy, low-carb or gluten-free recipes, don’t discount the one-pot wonder of main-course soups. They are relatively simple to prepare and because you can freeze portions in separate containers, there’s always an easy meal on hand for busy times and impromptu gatherings.
Why Thai?
Thai cuisine has grown in popularity in western countries due to the special blending of five main tastes distinctive to Thai dishes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter and sizzling. Chefs and homemakers are finding that many Thai recipes are appropriate for low carb or gluten-free diets.
My Grilled Beef Thai Soup is one of them. It encompasses all of the above requirements and it is easy to prepare if you have the right ingredients on hand.
In this recipe the....
“Sweet” comes from coconut milk. The flavor adds a hint of coconut, but you can substitute it with light brown sugar. Don't worry about the carbs as coconut milk is carb-free.
“Salty” is from fish sauce or or ‘nam pla’. It’s made from anchovies and has a distinctive aroma which, mercifully is not noticeable when you serve your guests this main-course soup dish. When you add the ingredient, just point your nose the other way.
“Sour” is from the lime juice or tamarind paste, a popular ingredient in Thai cooking. Some recipes use lemon grass, another Thai staple, but it is more difficult to find.
“Hot” is from the Thai chili in the curry paste. While traditional Thai dishes are quite fiery you can tame the heat by using a green or yellow Thai curry paste. The ginger also adds a bit of heat.
“Bitter “- Not all Thai food includes the bitter taste factor, but when it is incorporated into a dish, it usually comes from either tamarind paste or bitter lemon (which looks curiously like an English cucumber). I use the English cucumber in this recipe just for color (and a bit of crunch), incorporating a bit of tamarind paste to add the bitter flavor.
Grilled Beef Thai Soup is satisfying on its own but it may be accompanied by a hot vegetable side dish such as asparagus, or stir fried veggies. If you are serving guests who are not on a low carb diet include some brown rice (which is a Thai tradition) or quinoa as a side. Both are high in fiber and a safe bet for gluten-free dieters.
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Serving Size - 6
Net Carbs per serving - 8
Gluten-Free*
Note: Any processed food can be contaminated with gluten during the processing. If you want to be ultra-safe, buy ingredients that are certified gluten-free.
Ingredients:
2 POUNDS OF EITHER SIRLOIN STEAK, BEEF TENDERLOIN OR LONDON BROIL,
COOKED RARE AND SLICED SUSHI THIN.
4 SHALLOTS, SLICED THIN (approx. 6 TBS)
8 GREEN ONIONS, CHOPPED. It not necessary to use the bulb, only the freshest part of the green stalks. This also keeps the carb count down.
1/4 CUP FRESH MINT LEAVES, TIGHTLY PACKED
1/4 CUP FRESH CILANTRO LEAVES, LIGHTLY PACKED
1-2 TEASPOONS THAI RED CURRY PASTE
1/4 CUP LITE COCONUT MILK
1/3 CUP FISH SAUCE - Note: Some fish sauce products contain sugar, preservatives and hydrolyzed wheat protein which is unsafe for gluten-free diets! I highly recommend Red Boat Fish Sauce as It has none of the above ingredients.
1/2 CUP FRESHLY SQUEEZED LIME JUICE or
1 TEASPOON TAMARIND PASTE
1 TABLESPOON GINGER POWDER
1 SMALL ENGLISH CUCUMBER, HALVED LENGTHWISE, SEEDED
AND THINLY SLICED ON THE DIAGONAL
1 CUP CHERRY TOMATOES, HALVED
8 CUPS BEEF STOCK, PREFERABLY HOMEMADE
PREPARATION:
Mix the tamarind paste in 2 tbsp of warm water, so it melts into a juice. Discard any seeds.
Combine in a large glass bowl, the sliced beef, green onions, shallots, cilantro, mint, Thai curry paste, ginger powder, lime juice, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, tamarind juice and fish sauce. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Bring the beef stock to a boil in a 4 1/2 quart pot or Dutch oven. Stir in the marinated meat, the vegetables and the lite coconut milk. Heat thoroughly but don't let the meat and vegetables overcook. When hot, remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding additional fish sauce, lime juice or Asian hot sauce (like Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve sizzling hot.
This dish may be prepared ahead of time. You can even cook the beef a day or two before you prepare the soup. I’ve even used good sliced roast beef from the deli department at the supermarket. Just remember to marinate the vegetable/sliced meat mixture for fifteen minutes before you add it to the boiling broth.
© Copyright Green Lotus, 2011. All rights reserved.
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Comments
You can buy it in bulk right here on this page (see the Amazon selections) or try the international food isle in the supermarket. If they don't carry it, visit your local Asian supermarket. Hope this helps and thanks for being the first to comment!
I'm not a lover of soup, Hilary, but I do love Thai food so I will give this succulent-sounding, remarkable recipe a try. ?????????????????? (Thank you, my friend.)
This is good. I love Thai food. My former boss was Chinese so Thai was a natural part of her cuisine. I had to cook thai at least twice per week.
Both my son Randy and I love Tai food. So thanks for this mouth watering recipe. I enjoy making soup as I can freeze it for other meals. Filling and nutritious - a perfect blend! Thanks Hilary. UP -
Looks good and it is gluten free. I'll have to try it.
Thanks!
drbj - If you are not a soup lover, try this recipe as an appetizer, dividing it into small portions. Just freeze the rest! Cheers.
Cardisa- Sounds like you are a pro at Thai cooking. Feel free to make suggestions here as I am still a newbie :)
VC - I'm a Thai food lover too, in fact I love most spicy dishes. Although my forte is still Indian food, I'm discovering that the availability of Thai staple ingredients makes it easier to expand one's culinary expertise. Enjoy!
GreenMathDr - Great to see you here. Although I'm not on a gluten-free diet, I was happy to learn that this low-carb soup was also gluten-free making it a nice choice for all of us diet-conscious food mavens. Cheers!
Hehee, love this! I had never thought of Thai food from the perspective of its sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and sizzling aspects. The sizzling one is my favorite! Though this soup does look quite delish, sizzling or not. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Simone- This is a good one and it is really quite versatile. You can use chicken broth if you prefer fish or seafood instead of the beef broth with meat. Both are low carb and gluten-free! Thanks and cheers :)
Hi, so many different tastes, I love trying out something new, this looked delicious!
Nell- This one is pretty easy too. You can always adjust the ingredients to your levels of hot, bitter or sweet tolerance too! Just make sure it's sizzling :) Cheers
Nice recipe from you. Thank you so much for share with us. I'll show this to my mom. Well done, my friend. Vote up!
Prasetio
Thanks Prasetio - I hope to get a review from her :)
Sounds great and I'm ready to try it. However, I am afraid I am not into chillies. Anyway, both my daughter and husband can take some chillies so I might try this for them.
Thanks for sharing GL!
You can use a few tablespoons of commercially prepared Thai green curry paste (which is very mild) instead of the red. The tamarind also may be omitted.
Also, the green curry paste goes well with shrimp or chicken so you can substitute that for the beef. Just test taste it as you go. If you do try it, let me know if you are successful. Thanks for the visit.
can't wait to give this a try, thanks, definitely a vote up!
oh, that looks tasty. Voted up!
eye say - The nice thing about this soup is that you can adjust any of those sensory flavors to taste quite easily. Enjoy and thanks for the vote!
PDXK - Thank you for your vote and visit too. Hope you like it if you do get to try it!
i'll have to try it when the old lady is out of town. she doesn't eat meat :-)
PDXK - Funny! If you like it, try using Thai Green Curry Paste instead of the red, and make a veggie soup with bok choy, mushrooms and tofu. Yummmy! The tamarind paste is also hard to find and the soup is still great without it. (works with shrimp and a "sturdy" fish like cod or halibut. Cheers!
Thanks for the tips., Green Lotus. I actually try to make things as much as possible. I don't know at all what tamarind paste is, but, is it something I could whip up in my kitchen?
PDX - LOL I think it is harder to find tamarind pods than the paste, and turning the pod to paste is a lengthy process. Look for it in Asian markets or at the farmers market in your town. I have adjusted the recipe since tamarind in quite sour and hard to find. The lemon juice used as a substitute will work fine.
maybe I'll just buy it then :-)
tirelesstraveler 8 months ago
Wonderful hub, I was eating lunch while reading and my mouth was still watering. Where do you find coconut palm sugar?