The creativity of the class I teach never fails to impress me. All of the students have something different to offer the class and all bring a level of diversity to the class and what they prepare. A couple weeks back I had this group prepare a FANTASTIC Thai Red Lentil Soup. There are a lot of ingredients and the steps may seem long, but the students stated they made this 3 times and it really only took about 45 minutes for it to come together. Let me tell you that words cannot describe the blending of the flavors–>the smoky hint and the savory undertones!
If you are craving a trip to Thailand, take a look…
If you’d like to bring Thailand home try this recipe:
Thai Red Lentil Soup
(Doubled Soup-Base Recipe)
8 Serving Recipe
- 1 ½ cups sugar snap peas
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp. canola oil, divided
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp vegetarian yellow curry paste
- 4 lemongrass stalks, bashed and bruised with a rolling pin
- 8 lime leaves
- 2 cups (heaping) red lentils
- 2 quart (8 cups) water (or a mix of 1 – 15 oz can vegetable broth and water to equal 2 quarts)
- 4 heads baby bok choy, greens only
- 4-6 large shallots
- ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
- 1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted (reserve liquid) or 1 cup sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups sliced carrots
- 1 ½ cup fresh or canned bamboo shoots, sliced
- 1 ¼ cups lite coconut milk
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 tbsp Bragg’s Amino Acids
- 1 bunch cilantro, washed, picked and roughly chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
- Bring a pan of lightly salted (optional) water to a boil, chuck in the sugar snaps and cook for 90 seconds. Drain, refresh under cold water, then set aside to drip-dry. Before serving, cut them on an angle into long, thin slices.
- Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a large pot and add the sliced onion. Cook, covered, over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, until the onion is completely soft and sweet.
- Cut shallots into ¼ inch thick slices, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a sheet pan and roast at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, until caramelized and slightly crispy. Allow them to cool and roughly chop them.
- Stir the yellow curry paste into the onion, cook for a minute, add the lemongrass, lime leaves, red lentils, and water and/or vegetable broth, and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils are lovely and soft.
- In a sauté pan, add 1 tsp canola oil and heat over medium. Add the sliced mushrooms and sliced carrots and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned and the carrots just begin to soften.
- Remove and discard the lemongrass stalks and lime leaves from the soup, then blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, and Bragg’s, and stir. Put the soup back on the heat. Add more vegetable broth until the soup is to your desired consistency, if needed. When it is almost boiling, add the sugar snaps, bok choy, carrots, shiitake mushrooms (and liquid, if using dried), bamboo shoots, half the cilantro, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with plenty of fresh cilantro, the shallots, and a squeeze of lime, if you fancy. Serves 8.
Just Wendy Jo
