Thai Carrot Soup: Filling, not frou frou.
With an excess of carrots in my veggie bin, and a hankering for soup, I knew I had to make carrot soup. But I wanted something different, something spicy and warm, not the delicate carrot soups I normally make (for the record, it's the recipe in the original Moosewood cookbook). So I got the idea for coconut milk instead of cream, and pretty soon I realized I was going in the Thai direction. I stirred in some peanut butter and lime juice, and when I tasted the result, I knew I had a winner.
This is not your grandmother's carrot soup. It's rich, and exotic, and filling—a second bowl easily filled me up, with nary a cracker or salad to go alongside. And the smells—all night I could smell the warm curry spices still emanating from my kitchen.
I dressed it up for its photo, but you don't have to go to the trouble—although swirling a few dribbles of coconut milk hardly takes a moment. The next day, after a snowy hike around the Chilterns, I heated up the remains for lunch and I swear they were even better.
If you're tired of frou frou carrot soups, give this one a try. Directions below.
Thai Carrot Soup
1 tablespoon canola (rapeseed) oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 inch knob ginger, grated or minced
1 pound carrots (1/2 kilo), about 6 large carrots or 10 medium, sliced thin
3-4 cups vegetable stock (maybe more)
1 cup coconut milk, plus extra for serving
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons orange juice (juice of 1/2 orange)
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
snipped mint leaves, coriander, or chives
Heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the curry powder and turmeric, then stir in the onion and saute over medium heat. After five minutes, add the ginger and carrot. Stir.
Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook about 20-25 minutes, or until the carrots are soft. You may have to add more stock or water--make sure the carrots are covered and don't dry out. (But don't drown them in liquid, either—enough to cover is fine.)
When the carrots are soft enough to break easily with a wooden spoon, remove the pan from heat and stir in the peanut butter. Let cool for 5 minutes. Pour the carrots into a food processor or blender and whiz until smooth (at high speed for several minutes). Add the coconut milk, lime juice, and orange juice, and whiz again. If the mixture is too thick, add more stock or orange juice or a combination of the two.
If necessary, heat the mixture in the same pan briefly before serving. Using the extra coconut milk, pour a stream into the top of the soup after pouring into bowls. Garnish with mint leaves, or coriander (cilantro) or chives, depending on your taste.
This makes about three good sized bowls. Increase the number of carrots if you want to make more (about two per serving) and add more liquid.