Happy Spring! Dang, it's cold outside! Here in the high desert/southern Rockies of Taos, NM, it looks and feels like winter all over again, with snow and wind and cold, cold air. But the prairie dogs have surfaced, and although they look a little perplexed by the snow, they're still a sure sign that warmer weather will be here soon. Meanwhile, we still need good warming, comforting meals to take the chill off. This Red Lentil Curry Soup is thick and rich and beautiful to look at. My recipe calls for red lentils and red curry paste, but you can also make it with those cute little greenish French lentils and green curry paste.
Red Curry Lentil Soup
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
2-3 T coconut oil
2 cups uncooked red lentils, sorted and rinsed well
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 cans coconut milk (the "lite" kind is good, and the regular kind is decadent)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more)
1 T tamari
1 jar red curry paste
In a soup pot, heat the coconut oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrots for about 3 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and corn, and saute for another 2-3 minutes. There are two options at this point. One is to remove the vegetables from the pot, and set aside to add back into the soup later. This will give you nice crunchy veggies, which is my personal preference. The other option is to leave the veggies in the pot to cook along with the lentils. I did this last night because we had a baby dining with us, and he can't chew crunchy things yet. Either way is good!
Add the coconut milk, broth, lentils, and quinoa to the pot, along with the basil, red pepper flakes, and tamari. Bring it all to a gentle boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer until the lentils are soft. It should only take about 40 minutes or so. That's why I love these little red lentils. They're quick.
When the lentils are almost done, mix the whole jar of red curry paste with enough water to thin it down a bit, and stir it into the soup. If you set the veggies aside, add them back to the pot now to heat them up. Add salt to taste, and dinner's ready. I wonder if the prairie dogs would like some of this...
