thai noodle soup

i'm kind of on a soup kick. it's just so easy. throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, and you have a delicious meal in an hour or less. almost as easy as ordering thai take-out (which we've been in the habit of doing quite a bit lately). so, i decided to combine forces and make this thai noodle soup!

thai noodle soup

1/2 qt. vegetarian pho broth (made by pacific natural foods) 
1 can light coconut milk 
2 tbsp red curry paste, or more depending on spice preference 
1 large shallot, diced 
1/2 package white mushrooms, sliced 
1 tsp fresh minced ginger 
2 tomatoes, diced 
1 tbsp chopped thai basil 
1 tbsp sesame oil 
1 tsp salt 
juice of 1 lime 
1 package annie chun's pad thai brown rice noodles 
garnish: crushed peanuts, lime juice, cilantro, sesame seeds

in a large soup pot, on medium heat, saute shallot in the sesame oil until translucent. add in ginger, mushrooms and salt and saute for another 3-5 minutes. add in curry paste, broth, coconut milk, lime juice, thai basil and diced tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil. once boiling, reduce to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. meanwhile, bring a smaller pot of water to a boil and add rice noodles. follow cooking time instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. place noodles in a bowl, top with soup mixture and garnish with any (or all) of the items listed above. i also added baked tofu to my bowl, but any protein will do.