Thai Red Curry Coconut Lentil Soup

Method

1. Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Cut the onion and carrot into 1 cm pieces and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Heat the oil in a 18 cm pot on medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and ginger for 4 min, until the onion turns translucent. Keep stirring; burnt garlic tastes bitter.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 1 tbspOnion ½Garlic cloves 2Fresh ginger 10 g

   medium heat

2. Add the curry paste and a little of the coconut milk and fry on medium heat for 1 min, until the oil turns red and the aroma deepens. Frying the paste in coconut cream like this is how Thai cooks wake up its flavour.

   Add in this stepThai red curry paste 1½ tbspCoconut milk (tinned, shaken well) 30 ml

   medium heat

3. Add the lentils, carrot, water and more coconut milk and bring to the boil on high heat (about 4 min). Skim off the foam, lower to medium-low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 18 min, until the lentils collapse and the carrot is tender. Stir to the bottom now and then.

   Add in this stepRed lentils 100 gCarrot (small) ½Water 450 mlCoconut milk (tinned, shaken well) 120 ml

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. Turn off the heat and blend only about half with a stick blender, so the soup is creamy but still has a little texture. Add the fish sauce and palm sugar and warm on low heat for 2 min until dissolved. Coconut milk can split if boiled hard, so heat it only to just below a simmer.

   Add in this stepFish sauce 1½ tspPalm sugar (or brown sugar) 1 tsp

   low heat

5. Squeeze in half the lime and taste, then ladle into bowls, swirl over the remaining coconut milk and top with coriander and lime wedges. Adjust at the end with fish sauce or lime so salty, sweet and sour feel balanced.

   Add in this stepLime ½Fresh coriander (cilantro) 5 gCoconut milk (tinned, shaken well) 50 ml