There’s a certain type of autopilot I have to go on in the grocery store in order to not buy every eight dollar juice and bag of dark chocolate that my grumbling belly is asking for. My autopilot leads me past the avocados for a squeeze test, past the onions and garlic with a grab for both, and inevitably I end up strolling past the carrots and placing a bag in my shopping cart.
Honestly, I don’t know why I buy so many carrots. I definitely don’t need all these carrots. My produce drawer runneth over.
SO! Soup. Soup can disguise a multitude of over-shopping sins.
This is my latest rendition of Carrot Soup. It’s sweet, spicy, and creamy and I always have a container waiting for me in the freezer.
Get in on this!
Here’s what you’ll need:
• Carrots. Whatcha got in the fridge? Grab about 8 of them.
• Chicken stock or vegetable stock.
• Coconut milk, the canned sort. I like the light coconut milk because it’s just as delicious to me and has less fat.
• Onions and garlic and lots of fresh ginger.
• Red Curry paste. I used this one instead of making it from scratch.
• Salt and pepper. Cumin and lime.
Onions and garlic in a hot pan. I think this is where just about every good soup starts.
I added our boatload of peeled and sliced carrots to the sauteed onions and garlic.
Now for the ground cumin.
A lot of spicy fresh ginger.
And the Red Curry Paste. The paste is a combination of spice and bright so give it a small taste and add as much or as little as you can handle.
Aaaand whatever kind of stock you have on hand, whatever makes you feel nice. Ina would insist that you use GOOD HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK, but I’m not Ina and we all know it.
Simmer and simmer and soften.
We’ll cook the soup until the carrots are deeply softened. Not an ounce of bite in them- then off to the blender to blend the soup until smooth.
Return the blended soup to the pan and stir in the coconut milk. Taste and season with salt and pepper as you’d like.
To serve, I added a drizzle of olive oil, and coconut milk and a sprinkle of cumin seeds and fresh thyme leaves.
With a wedge of lime this soup is bright and zippy, sweet, and just lightly spicy. It also freezes quite well and makes for a nice surprise in your hour of need. Speaking from experience.
Photos with Jon Melendez!
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Carrot Coconut Red Curry Soup
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or according to your taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4–5 cups diced peeled carrots
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (you could also use chicken broth)
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- cumin seeds, olive oil, coconut milk, and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more.
- Add ginger and curry paste and saute for another 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Add cumin and diced carrots. Stir to incorporate. Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat, and simmer mixture until carrots are completely softened, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth. (You can also use an emulsion blender in the pot and never have to move the soup… if you’re into that sort of convenience.) Return soup to pot, stir in coconut milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and toasted cumin seeds if you have them. Serve with a wedge of lime.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Deb
Hello :) so am in the middle of making this pretty soup. But the question is: do i simmer with lid on or off? Thanks!
Joy the Baker
I start with the lid on to speed the softening of the carrots. Keep the lid on for most of the cooking time, removing the lid for the last 10 minutes or so.
Rachael
Joy, this is such a delicious soup. It’s so rainy here lately, my partner has a sore back making him miserable and work is super busy and stressful for me. I made this soup last winter and remember loving it, so made it again last night (with some bonus celeraiac that was looking sad in the bottom of the fridge). It’s the perfect fit for a week where we need a little tlc.
Megan
This is my favorite soup. DEAL WITH IT.
★★★★★
maria v
Really Good!!! Used half carrots and half butternut squash because that’s what I had, and loved it! The citrus kick and olive oil drizzle were perfect. Thanks!! This is a keeper!
★★★★
Bianca
I bought Thai Red Curry Paste just for this recipe and I’m so glad I did! Used 2 Tbps but it ended up a bit too spicy for me while my husband LOVED it. Great recipe I’ll be making this again for sure, thank you!!