This soup checks all the boxes. For that, I mean the green curry lentil soup brings together harmoniously the primary flavor components we crave. Specifically, the green curry paste, one of the key ingredients, delivers the spiciness. Lentils provides the nutritional benefits we need in the form of fiber, protein and vitamins. Other ingredients, including sweet potato and coconut milk, satisfy our taste buds for sweetness as well as creaminess. In addition, spinach and the fish sauce elevate the soup another notch with fresh veggies and a dose of funky flavor. The soup is a wonderful symphony of deliciousness.
I bought a 5-pound bag of organic red lentil in a farm in Vermont. The freshness and brightness of the seeds appeal to me. I know I’ll be making a lot of lentil as a side dish or as a soup. With the red lentils, there is the added advantage of how fast it cooks. As a result, the green curry lentil soup comes together as quickly as I can gather all the ingredients in one place. One caveat though: the store-bought green curry paste.
The store-bought green curry paste gives us instant access and the convenience which is hard to beat. However, if you have the time and inclination to make a green curry paste, it’s just as easy to do. The key is to have all the raw ingredients on hand.
In a cooking class in Thailand, I pounded green chili pepper, garlic, young ginger, lemongrass, shallot, lime peel and spices to a paste-like consistency. The resulting soup is so refreshingly and incredibly sweet, pungent and tasty, you know that’s the right way to make it. Well, our local supply chain does not give us the fresh ingredients for the paste. I’m settling for the second best: the store-bought green curry paste to make the soup.
Green Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 1" piece peeled ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
- ¼ cup Thai green curry paste
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into ½" cubes
- ¾ cup brown or green lentils
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
- 4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach leaves
- ½ tsp. (or more) fish sauce
- Small handful cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving)
Instructions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent and starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pan constantly, until paste is fragrant and slightly darkened and mixture starts to stick to pan, about 3 minutes.
Stir sweet potato and lentils into onion mixture, then add broth and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook soup, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are cooked through and lentils are tender but not mushy, 20–25 minutes.
Add coconut milk to soup; return to a simmer. Add spinach and fish sauce and cook just until spinach is wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste soup and season with more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-curry-lentil-soup
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