Creamy Curried Green Lentil Soup

27 Feb 2012 ⋅ by Samantha ⋅ in Mediterranean, Soul Hugging Soups, Vegetarian ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅ Tags: coconut, creamy soup, lentils, soup

I have been on a Coconut binge lately, and this soup is no exception. I have a jar of green lentils, coconut oil and light coconut milk and was looking for something creamy and exotic. Normally I make a chunky lentil coup, filled with smoky flavors of cumin and textured vegetables, but I thought this would be a nice simple change.

I was inspired by this gorgeous recipe and jumped right on it. This soup is everything I was looking for. Deep flavors of spice, a creamy and silky texture and a slight salty kick from its delicious garnish.

When I made this for lunch last week, I served it with toasted naan bread sprinkled with Zaatar seasoning that I picked up at the spire store. If you don’t know what Zaatar seasoning it, find out fast and get it! It’s a Middle Eastern seasoning blend that has flavors of citrus, maybe sesame and something earthy and I believe that’s Sumac in it as well. This blend is addicting and just from sprinkling it on some bread, I need to run back and get more.

Inspired by this recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tb coconut oil

1 Tb curry powder
1Tb cumin powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
5 1/2 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth (or 1 box-sized)
1 1/2 cups green lentils, rinsed and picked through
1/2 cup light coconut milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Feta cheese, cubed for garnish
Basil leaves, for garnish

Method:

1) In a large dutch oven, heat coconut oil over medium-heat until melted. Add curry powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion and saute for about 3 minutes.

2) Add broth and lentils and then cover and bring to a boil. Once its at a boil, reduce to a steady simmer for about 50-60 minutes (It took longer for me because my boil was low).

3) When lentils are tender, lower heat and add coconut milk and salt and pepper.
*You don’t want to add salt BEFORE cooking lentils because this will toughen the lentils, so always season with salt after lentils are done cooking.

4) Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup very well making sure all the lentils are pureed.
Garnish with cubed feta and torn basil leaves.