Vegetable, Lentil and Coconut Soup

Well, as much as the days are getting longer and we have started to have some beautiful days, spring hasn’t been in the air too much this week in Perth. So much so I had to revert back to a nice hot bowl of soup. This one was a change from my trusty Chicken Noodle soup and I made it nice a chunky so it filled me up until dinner!

Ingredients

•        1 tbsp olive oil
•        1 onion, finely chopped
•        1 garlic clove, minced
•        2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
•        2 tsp ground coriander
•        2 tsp ground cumin
•        ½ tsp ground turmeric
•        ½ – 1 red chilli or ½ 1 tsp chilli flakes to taste
•        ⅓ cup dry red lentils
•        1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets
•        1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
•        ½ cup green beans  (optional)
•        500 ml vegetable broth
•        400 ml can coconut milk
•        large handful of spinach or kale (optional)
•        1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves (plus more for garnish)
•        1 tbsp lemon juice
•        salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
•        dob natural yoghurt

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1½ tbsp of the oil and gently cook the onion for 10 minutes, stirring frequently
2. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the stock, lentils, cauliflower, sweet potato, beans and coconut milk
4. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach, if using and cook for a few minutes.
5. Stir in 2 tbsp of coriander and the lemon juice, and season to taste
6. Blend until desired consistency, you can add more stock to make it a thinner consistency
7. Garnish with additional coriander and yoghurt.

ps I sometimes add leftover quinoa or brown rice if it’s there to make is chunkier and heartier (as you can see)