Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

It's that time again. I've pulled out my down jacket, umbrella, and rain boots. I've added an extra knit blanket in between the sheets and down comforter on the bed, and I'm sipping hot tea like it's nobody's business.

I love how cozy this time of year can be. Warm layers, crackling fireplaces, hot meals, and permission to be a homebody. 

There are so many things to look forward to in the coming months.

An array of soups and stews is one of those things - hot, one-pot, comforting meals.

I've been on the hunt for new soup recipes.  The Coconut Red Lentil Soup at 101Cookbooks caught my eye this past week. Heidi Swanson never ceases to come up with new twists on basic ingredients.

Heidi's soup is pleasantly different than your typical lentil soup. The curry, ginger, and coconut work so well together. And I'm surprised to say so because I usually shy away from anything with ginger.

Heidi made her soup in a large pot over the stove. I didn't have as much time on my hands, so I altered the instructions to suit a crock-pot (set it and forget it!).

Either way, this soup is definitely tasty. It's really simple to put together on a Sunday night to have a hot meal ready to eat during the work week, or you can keep cozy on the weekend with a bowl of soup and a good book.

Want more great soup ideas? There's always chicken soup, matzo ball soup, or lamb and chickpea chili.

Enjoy and stay warm.

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

By Heidi Swanson

Ingredients

1 cup / 7 oz / 200g yellow split peas
1 cup 7 oz / 200g red split lentils (masoor dal)
7 cups / 1.6 liters water
1 medium organic carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced organic ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons organic butter
8  organic green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/3 cup / 1.5 oz / 45g organic golden raisins
1/3 / 80 ml cup organic tomato paste
1 14-ounce can organic coconut milk
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
one small handful organic cilantro, chopped

Directions

Rinse the split peas and lentils. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency. 

Sprinkle each bowl generously with cilantro and the remaining green onions.

Serves 6.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 35 min

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson