red lentil ginger coconut soup

Bring on the soup. It's cold! There's nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a cold day. But even in hot climates a bowl of soup can hit the spot. I remember getting quite used to a bowl of chicken, vegetable and noodle soup while backpacking around Thailand. Simple streetfood at its best. Here I've taken a recipe from Vegetarian Times, this one from 101 Cookbooks, and referred to a recipe for a red lentil soup I previously made that was very similar to this.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) red lentils, rinsed thoroughly
1 teaspoon (5 ml) sea salt
1 cup (250 ml) diced tomatoes, all or a portion puréed
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of coconut, olive or vegetable (coconut and olive being the healthiest)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 x 15 oz can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground coriander
1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (5 ml) turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) curry powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) cinnamon
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
6 cups (1420 ml) water
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Method:

Add rinsed lentils and salt to 6 cups of water in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes.

Blend lentils roughly with a whisk or spoon or purée.

Purée tomatoes and ginger until smooth. You may prefer to leave a portion of the diced tomatoes not puréed for a chunkier soup. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, then the onion, carrot and celery. Cook until they begin to soften, stirring often.

Add the tomato and ginger mixture to the coconut milk and spices and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. If you want to smoother texture, you may want to purée this mixture so the onion, carrot and celery are blended too.

Add the cooked lentils and simmer for another 15 or 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add a little cilantro on top. Serve.

Printer-friendly Recipe