Curry Coconut Lentil Soup

A warm and hearty vegetarian soup made with lentils, curry, and coconut milk

I’ve been really into lentils lately (one of the ingredients that’s stuck with me post-cleanse), which is great since they’re inexpensive, nutritious, and a great source of protein. Usually I’ve been eating them as a side dish, either sautéed with garlic or onion or simply dressed in some nice olive oil and a little red wine vinegar, but this soup (lightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day) makes them the star of the show. Unlike most soups, this one requires few ingredients but still manages to have a lot of flavor from the curry powder and coconut milk. I made some for a quick weekend lunch and saved leftovers to bring to work. Just add a little water when reheating, as the soup tends to thicken as it cools.

Related Recipes:
- Lentil "Meatballs" with Lemon-Almond-Basil Pesto
- Winter Vegetable Minestrone
- Lentil, Squash, & Goat Cheese Salad

Curry Coconut Lentil Soup:

• Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add in 1 chopped onion and 1 large pinch of red chile flakes and season with salt.
• Cook for 5-7 minutes, until onions soften and start to turn translucent, then add in 1 heaping tbsp. of minced garlic.
• Stir garlic for a minute or so, or until fragrant, then add in 6 c. chicken stock* and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add in 1 1/2 c. green lentils** and a big pinch of salt, cover pot with a lid, and lower heat to a simmer.
• Cook for 20-40 minutes, or until lentils are very soft.
• Turn the heat off and stir in 1 c. light coconut milk.
• Puree soup in a blender until very smooth, adding more broth or water to thin it if necessary.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. butter in a small skillet until starting to brown, then add in 1 tbsp. curry powder and stir to dissolve.
• Return soup to the pot and add in most of the curry brown butter.
• Check for seasoning, adding more curry powder or salt if desired.
• Ladle into bowls and top with another drizzle of brown butter and a handful of thinly sliced scallions.

Serves six - eight

*Or vegetable stock or water, if you want to make it totally vegetarian. If using water, add more salt.

**You can also use green split peas, which will give the soup a brighter green color.