Right now, this Red Lentil Coconut Soup is where it’s at . Run to the store and get the ingredients because you’re going to want to make this one all winter long. Using red lentils, a mix of vegetables and spices and coconut milk of bring all the flavours together. This soup is easy and doesn’t take much more than 30 minutes to put together. A great mid week meal. Full of spicy flavour and creamy coconut and great served with Stovetop Nann Bread.
I have had this soup on my mind for months, literally. I don’t know why, all I know is I wanted to make a Red Lentil Coconut Soup. For no reason, other than I felt I had to. Soups are an easy a versatile way to get in more vegetables.
Let’s talk about the Red Lentil & Coconut Soup
This was a very easy soup to make and I love that the flavours were all there as soon as it was cooked fresh off the stove. Unlike some soups, that take a while to reach their full flavour. When I made this soup, I kind of had no expectations, so I was pleased it tasted so good. It is always great when you start out that way, as opposed to the reverse.
Notes About The Soup
- First up, the spices in this recipe are fried with the vegetables and lentils before any stock has been added. I can’t stress how important this is with developing flavour in the soup. Don’t skip this step! It literally only takes a few minutes and you will really notice a difference in the end result.
- I used olive oil in the recipe but if I had remembered I would have used coconut oil as it’s a coconut based soup. So, you can easily use this if you have it on hand. I don’t traditionally use much coconut oil in cooking, but am starting to use it more lately.
- The finishing touches to the soup really brought out the flavours even more. Don’t skip them either! The sharpness of the lime and the creaminess of the Greek yogurt really set off the soup. I also think Nann bread on the side wouldn’t go astray.
Over all I am giving this soup a 10. Yes, that good. And like said earlier, a great mid week meal.
Okay, so this soup really is best when it is first made. That doesn’t mean you can’t reheat it, but it honestly is better fresh. I mean same day fresh not piping out of the pan fresh. This could just be my personal opinion, but I am not usually keen on any leftover legumes. I find they lose their consistency and almost become too mushy.
All that being said, it is still good the next day, just not great. However, remember that legumes generally continue to expand so you will need to add a bit more stock in the reheating process. Just as as much as you need until you reach the required consistency.
Happy Cooking!
Here’s Some More Lentil Soups You’ll Love
Red Lentil Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Cup red lentils
- 2 Carrots finely diced
- 2 ribs Celery finely diced
- 1 Onion finely diced
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon cumin
- 1 Teaspoon coriander
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 Dried chili finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- Salt
- Pepper
To serve:
- Greek yogurt
- Lime wedges
- Fresh coriander
Instructions
- In a large stainless steel pot set over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add the onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the carrots, celery and dried lentils. Give a very good stir and add the cumin, coriander, chilli, and bay leaves. Stir this really good for about a minute. You want to coat everything completely with the spices. Cook dry like this for about 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add all the stock with the coconut milk. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and leave to cook for about 20-25 minutes.
- Lentils should be cooked through and vegetables soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve topped with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, fresh coriander and a lime wedge.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
