Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Coconut Curry Soup

Last summer I moved from eating any old meat in moderation to eating mostly wild game and pastured meat only sparingly.  Without knowing, that is when I wrote my Vegetarian-ish Teaser.  Flavors abound in fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, while grains and beans add bulk to meals and give us sustained energy.  Through these past 6 months I have made lots of changes that all happened little by little.  It takes some creativity and a good resolve, but eating meat sparingly is O so doable.

Traditional American fare has become a plate of separates; large portion of meat with a starch and sometimes a small amount of vegetables.  When I eat American now, I just reverse the sequence with a large portion of veggies with a starch and sometimes a small amount of meat.  Simple.  It took my husband a little bit to accept this approach, his plate doesn’t always have the same proportions, but he is learning that a meal does not have to be centered around a large portion of meat to be satisfying.

This concept is a whole lot easier when we make more casseroles and soups because using less meat is not quite as noticeable.  This soup is meatless, though could very well have meat added for beginners.  The use of real chicken stock gives great flavor and lots of nutrition

Lemon grass is one of my favorite herbs.  It is hard to find so I am trying to grow my own.  Look at Asian Food Markets, the dried pieces from the grocery store is not the same.  I have also used 2 drops of lemon grass essential oil in a tablespoon of coconut milk added at the end of cooking with good results. 

I got the idea for this soup from Wildflower Bread Company.  Sadly, it is not on their regular weekly rotation.  With so much flavor,  a nice creamy smooth texture and small, soft bits for added interest, who could miss the meat? 

One 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer portion removed tender portion only, chopped very fine
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder
16 ounces tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
3 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste or cayenne to taste
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

In a large pot, combine coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and lime zest, simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate pan, sauté onions in coconut oil until soft.  Add garlic, then remove from heat.  Puree onions and garlic with curry powder, chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Add blended mixture, salt, carrots, celery, tomatoes and red pepper to simmering coconut milk, stir to combine.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, 8 minutes or pressure on high for one minute.  Stir in curry paste, lime juice, cilantro and serve.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

6 comments:

  1. Ooohh...another curry...MMM. I am excited. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Ms. Bagley,

    I wanted to take a moment to thank you for mentioning the Wildflower Bread Company in your recent blog post about Coconut Curry soup. We monitor various outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and the blogosphere for feedback about the Wildflower to ensure that we are providing the best experience possible.

    We are passionate about the food that we serve and I am happy to hear that the Wildflower’s great food is inspiring new recipes. Your recipe sounds like a big hit, and it's always nice to tailor recipes to fit your own personal eating habits.

    I was also checking out the rest of your blog and I wanted to echo the sentiments you shared about "homemade" food. I especially appreciate the following:
    'Give “homemade” the reverence it deserves, it is an honor to prepare a meal from food that is fresh, raised with pure intent in your own community. It is appreciated far past the time the last bite is swallowed…'

    I hope that you enjoy the great Coconut Curry recipe you have put together. I imagine that it would be terrific accompanied by some of our hand-made artisan bread. If there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to contact me directly on my cell phone at (602) 723-3423.

    Thank you again for your support. We truly appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

    To Great Food,
    Louis

    Louis J. Basile, Jr.
    Founder
    Wildflower Bread Company
    louis_basile@wildflowerbread.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello again, Ms. Bagley-

    I wanted to follow-up and let you know that we will be serving our Chicken Coconut Curry soup on our Spring 2010 rotation, which is offered April 1st through June 30th. We anticipate that we will be serving it twice weekly during this period.

    I apologize that this soup is not offered as part of our current rotation. We update our soup selection seasonally so that we may offer our guests a wide variety of flavors. We understand that many of our guests have a 'favorite' and we work diligently to ensure that our soup selections reflect those preferences. We appreciate your feedback.

    Again, if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

    Thank you for your interest in the Wildflower, and enjoy your weekend.

    To Great Food,
    Louis

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, I appreciate your compliments and customer service in responding and the soup availability update, it is great news!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is another winner. It has a kick to it.

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  6. This is a delicious soup. Hits the "I want something curry-ish" spot. I had some leftover cooked quinoa on hand, so added that to individual bowls as desired. 3 boys, 4, 3 and 1, all ate it, some with more relish, some with less, but ate it nonetheless. Love the enchilada casserole recipe on this site too.

    ReplyDelete

It's rude to eat and run. Humor me with conversation please!

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