Green Coconut-Curry Soup

I did not plan on blogging this soup. I just wanted something nourishing ready for lunch this week, and this soup fit the bill. However, when I found myself sampling a little bowl, eagerly scraping the bottom, practically licking it clean and then going back for more - well, I had to share.

Adapted from the amazing natural foods cookbook Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson, she uses lentils and calls it Green Lentil Soup. I used split peas, but didn't want to call it green pea soup, and the fact that those peas are pureed with coconut milk and curry seasoning is what makes it so addicting. I'm a curry freak, so anything with coconut milk and curry in it appeals to me, but it's not overpowering here. The soup manages to taste both rich and full-flavored, but still clean tasting. And with my chives proliferating in the garden, a topping of freshly snipped chives worked perfectly.

Some dirty details:

• I used turkey stock I made earlier this spring, and clarified the butter used for the curry butter, but you can skip this step if you'd like. If going vegan with this, just use vegetable stock and substitute olive or coconut oil for the butter. 
• Avoid "light" coconut milk and purchase a brand like Thai Kitchen with minimal number of ingredients on the label (Geisha brand, in comparison, is cheaper but stuffed with multi-syllabic stabilizers).  The coconut cream floats to the top of the can - just stir it back in before adding it to the soup. 
• The original recipe calls for 1 Tbls. curry powder. I prefer curry paste to curry powder, but didn't want the soup to be too overwhelming with the potent paste, so I mixed it up and used 1/2 Tablespoon curry powder and 1 tsp. curry paste. 
• I find that dried beans are usually a better deal in the Mexican food section of my grocery store. 

The recipe should serve 4 to 6, but I'll admit I only had three servings left after I was done with my "sampling." I'm already looking forward to lunch tomorrow. 

Green Coconut-Curry Soup
Get the original recipe here. 

2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5 1/2 cups chicken/turkey or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups green split peas, picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons butter

1/2 tablespoon Indian curry powder
1 teaspoon curry paste

1/2 cup coconut milk

Fine-grain sea salt

1 bunch fresh chives, minced

Combine the 2 tablespoons butter, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large soup pot over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and peas and simmer, covered, until the peas are tender. This usually takes 30 minutes, but can take as long as 50 minutes.



In the meantime, warm the 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it brown. When it starts to smell nutty and fragrant, tip the saucepan slightly and spoon off the white butter solids to clarify the butter. Stir in the curry powder and paste, and sauté until the spices are fragrant, about 20 seconds.

 Remove from heat.

When the lentils are finished cooking, remove from the heat, stir in the coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and puree with an immersion blender or in a blender (be careful with hot soup in a blender - start slow and don't overfill). You can leave the soup a bit chunky if you like, or puree until it is perfectly smooth.

Stir in the spiced butter, taste, and add more salt, if needed. Serve sprinkled with chives.