Red Lentil Soup with Carrots and Coconut

3 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
2 bay leaves
6 cups water or chicken broth
1 15-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
Juice and zest of half a lime
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
Plain yogurt and coriander leaves for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the vegetable oil in a soup pot over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, chile, and carrots until the onions are just coloring, around 5 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, lentils, bay leaves, and water or broth, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft--around 30 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, salt, and lime juice and zest, and simmer another five minutes. Heat the remaining butter in a small skillet and fry the mustard seeds until they are just popping, around 1 minute. Stir them into the soup, taste for salt and lime juice, and serve topped with plain yogurt and coriander leaves. Serve over rice, like a stew, or in bowls as soup.

Serves 4-6

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Coconut macchiato with tofu and miso

250g tofu
2 leeks
750ml dashi
80g miso
1 shallot
1 teaspoon chilli sauce
200ml coconut milk

Cut tofu into 2cm cubes. Slice leeks into thin slices.

Warm dashi in a saucepan, but do not boil. Pass miso through a sieve into the dashi and mix. Do not boil. Add tofu and leeks to the soup and warm for 1 minute.

Slice shallot and cook a little in chili sauce. Add 150ml coconut milk and then beat with a mixer.

Pour miso soup into glasses, followed by the coconut cream. Beat the remaining coocnut milk and add to the top of the soup.

Curry pumpkin soup with chicken skewers

Pumpkin soup:
800g butternut pumpkin, peeled & chopped
1 apple, peeled & chopped
100g shallots (or a small onion), chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 litre chicken broth
1 can coconut milk, or else a good few shakes of coconut milk powder
black pepper

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
5 skewers
peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Fry shallots, garlic and carrots in butter, add pumpkin and apple together with paprika, curry, and ginger. Add chicken broth and simmer for 20 min. Add coconut milk, puree and season to taste.

Cut chicken into 1cm cubes and thread onto skewers. Fry in peanut oil, and deglaze in soy sauce. Brush over with chilli jam/sweet chilli sauce and coat with sesame seeds.

Serve soup in bowls, and place two chicken skewers over each bowl. Serve.

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What do the food critics say? Is there any more? Well, except for Lukan, but he did eat one bowl willingly. If you count "three spoonfuls of soup for one piece of cheese" as "willingly".
What does the cook say? The peeling and chopping is a bit of a pain, but it's otherwise easy and fancy looking enough to serve at a dinner party. I used a Thai marinade for the chicken though (coconut milk, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, fish sauce, fresh & ground coriander, cumin) and grilled the skewers instead of frying them. I also think less coconut milk for the soup is better - enough so you can taste it, but not so much out drowns out the more subtle ginger.

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Adapted from a recipe book at the house we stayed in on the Canary Islands.

Pumpkin chestnut soup

1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
50g ginger, grated
750g pumpkin, cut into cubes
300g cooked chestnuts
400ml coconut milk
200ml chicken stock
200ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions and ginger in oil until onions are transparent. Add carrot, pumpkin and 200g of the chestnuts, cook briefly.

Add stock and coconut milk, cook for 20 min. Blend and season. Serve with the remaining chestnuts.

Source: the pumpkin stand in the next village

Cauliflower and Potato Curry

1 medium cauliflower
2 medium potatoes
3 T cooking oil
1 t cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
½ t cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t want it spicy)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 t salt
1 medum-size tomato, chopped
3/4 cup good quality yogurt or coconut milk
2 T fresh corriander, chopped

Cut cauliflower into medium-size florets. Peel and cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes.

Heat oil on medium heat in a nonstick frying pan. Add cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. Stir in ginger, chili powder, and turmeric powder.

Reduce heat to medium-high. Add cauliflower, potatoes, and salt. Mix well so the vegetables are coated with spices. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When cooked (potatoes should easily break with slight pressure), add tomatoes. Cook another 2 minutes or until tomatoes become soft and liquid is absorbed.

Add yogurt and warm through.

Sprinkle with corriander and serve hot with basmati rice.

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Spicy carrot and lentil soup

½tsp chilli flakes
2tsp cumin seeds
2tbsp olive oil
650g (1lb 7oz) carrots, washed and coarsely grated
1 celery stick, finely sliced
150g (5½oz) split red lentils
1.2ltr (2pt) hot vegetable stock
125ml (4fl oz) coconut milk
4tbsp plain yoghurt
Small handful of coriander leaves
Warm naan bread, to serve

Heat a large saucepan and then add the chilli flakes and cumin seeds. Dry fry for a minute or so, until they release their aroma and pop around in the pan. Remove half of the seeds and set aside.

Add the oil to the pan and, once it is hot, stir in the carrots and celery. Stir around for a couple of minutes, and then add the lentils, stock and coconut milk.

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, covered with a lid, until the lentils are tender.

Blitz the soup until as smooth or chunky as you prefer, and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon into bowls, add a spoon of yoghurt on top, scatter with the reserved spices, and add a few coriander leaves, serve with warm naan bread.

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Stir-fried chicken with lime and coconut

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Grated zest and juice 1 large lime
150ml (5fl oz) coconut milk
1 dessertspoon olive oil
1 green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 dessertspoon Thai fish sauce
4 heaped tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
4 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) shreds, including the green part

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl with the lime juice and zest. Stir well and leave to marinate for an hour.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat the oil in the pan or wok over a high heat, add the chicken pieces and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until they’re golden.

Then add the chilli, stir-fry for 1 more minute, and add the coconut milk, fish sauce and half the coriander and spring onions. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then serve with Thai fragrant rice and the remaining coriander and spring onions sprinkled over.

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Lime & corriander fish

4 thick MSC-certiifed white fish fillets, about 200g (7oz) each, skinned
Fresh banana leaves to serve (from Asian grocers), or use lightly oiled squares of foil
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground coriander
1½tsp golden caster sugar
150g (5½oz) freshly grated coconut
2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped
8-10tbsp chopped coriander leaves
4tbsp chopped mint leaves
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1tsp peeled and finely grated root ginger
3tbsp vegetable oil
Juice of 2 limes

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Cut the banana leaves into four 24cm (9½in) squares, and soften them by dipping into a pan of very hot water for a few seconds, then dry with kitchen paper.

Grind into a paste the cumin, ground coriander, sugar, coconut, chillies, fresh coriander, mint, garlic, ginger and oil, with a pinch of salt.

Apply the paste liberally to both sides of the fish and drizzle with lime juice. Place a piece of fish on each leaf and wrap, securing with bamboo skewers or string.

Place on a baking sheet, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

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