food. red coconut curry lentil and sweet potato soup.

As soon as Nate said "best soup you've ever made", I jumped on my laptop to share the recipe. Seriously, I'm pretty impressed with this Donna Hay recipe. From the original photo in the magazine, I thought - oh, recipe said no cream but I think we'll need to get some. That is certainly not the case. This delicious and healthy soup recipe is the perfect cool night dish. Open a bottle of wine (our choice was a 2009 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy) and enjoy.

Red Coconut Curry Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves, crushed
3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1/4 cup Thai Red Curry Paste
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 x 400 ml (about 13 ounces) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 x 400 ml cans of lentils, cooked and drained
1/2 cup coriander (cilantro) leave, finely chopped


Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cloves, sauté until tender.
2. Add the ginger, sauté for about a minute.
3. Add the Thai Red Curry Paste, sauté for about a minute.
4. Add the sweet potatoes, chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10-18 minutes.
5. Remove soup from heat and blend with either an immersion blender or add soup to a food processor and blend in batches.
6. Move soup puree back to low heat and fold in lentils and coriander. Heat through for about 5 minutes.

Jen's Notes
Don't forget the crusty bread! This recipe is easy to prep, easy to cook, easy to finish.