Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken and Shrimp

Ingredients:
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (31-40 size)
1/8 tsp Emeril's Original Essence*
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs fish sauce
3 tsps minced fresh ginger (I used a garlic press)
1 Tbs minced garlic
3 (5 inch) piece lemongrass, cut in half lengthwise and crushed w/edge of knife.**
2 (13.5 -ounce) cans coconut milk. One regular, one reduced (I got the reduce version at Trader Joes)
1 cup quartered button mushrooms, stems removed (I used presliced baby bellas)
1/2 tsp Thai Chili Garlic Paste (purchased at Asian market store).
1/2 cup snow peas
1 lime, freshly squeezed juice
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Place the chicken in a small mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Season the defrosted shrimp sparingly in a separate small mixing bowl with Essence and set aside.
3. Combine the chicken broth, fish sauce, ginger, garlic and lemongrass in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to med0low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the diced, seasoned chicken, coconut milk, mushrooms and chili garlic paste. Simmer 1o minutes.
5. Add the seasoned shrimp, snow peas, and lime juice. Simmer an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through and the chicken is cooked through.
6. Remove pot from heat and remove the lemongrass before serving.
7. Pour soup into bowls and sprinkle with cilantro.

*Emeril's Essence recipe: 3 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons salt, 2 Tablespoons dried parsley, 2 teaspoons onion pwd, 2 tsps garlic powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp celery salt

**when using lemongrass, remove the grassy tops and any hard root section. Using the blunt edge of a knife or a heavy pot, bruise the stalk all over. Be careful not to pulverize the stalk or it will fall apart during cooking.

recipe influenced by : Emeril Lagasse