In this delicious curried lentil soup, I have lifted a traditional winter soup with fragrant Thai spices and a hit of coconut. Perfect for jaded palates on winter days.
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The Perfect Winter Soup
Root vegetable soups are a wonderful gift in winter, but there is a risk that they can get repetitive. If you are not careful, the sweetness of all those fabulous roots can become a little cloying. That’s why I love to find new ways to vary and balance the flavours.
Combining your root veg with a curried lentil soup produces a more savoury soup and a delicious balanced meal. Here, I decided to swap Indian curry spicing for a little Thai curry paste. I added coconut for a fragrant lift.
This Thai curry soup is not a traditional Thai soup by any means – lentils are rare in Thai cuisine and Thai soups are light and thin rather than blended. Nevertheless, this tasty fusion dish is perfect to raise the spirits on a cold day.
This is a very adaptable recipe, so ring the changes with the vegetables you have to hand. If you are making this for vegetarians, check the ingredients in your curry paste. Many of them contain shrimp, so be careful.
How to Make Thai Curry Soup with Lentils and Root Vegetables
Step one – Peel and roughly chop the onions. Fry in the oil until golden.
Step two – While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the rest of the vegetables. Add them to the pan with the curry paste. Stir well and fry for a few minutes.
Step three – Add the lentils and coconut milk. Top up with enough stock to cover everything and then bring to a gentle simmer.
Step four – Cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Step five – Blend your soup with a stick blender until smooth, thinning it with a little water if necessary. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.
Hints, Tips and Variations
- As with so many spiced dishes, this soup actually improves given time. Make enough for tomorrow and some for the freezer too. This recipe serves 8, but if you don’t have space in the freezer, it is easy to halve the quantities.
- Top with a generous handful of fresh coriander, spare coriander can be frozen and then blitzed into your next batch of soup.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Good soup often starts with a soffritto recipe. Make a big batch, freeze and use every time you make soup.
- Carrot and lentil soup
- Pumpkin and sweet potato soup
- Swede Soup
- Slow cooker vegetable soup
- Butternut squash soup
- Tomato and lentil soup
- More easy soup recipes
Summer Soup Recipes
Thai Carrot and Coconut Soup with Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tsp oil
- 4 carrots
- 2 parsnips
- Wedge of swede (rutabaga)
- 2 tbsp red or yellow Thai curry paste (add more or less to taste)
- Mug full of red lentils
- 1/2 tin of coconut milk or 4 tbsp coconut milk powder
- 2 pints Vegetable stock
- Salt & pepper to season
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the onions. Fry in the oil until golden.
- While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the rest of the vegetables. Add them to the pan with the curry paste. Stir well and fry for a few minutes.
- Add the lentils and coconut milk. Top up with enough stock to cover everything and then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
- Blend your soup with a stick blender until smooth, thinning it with a little water if necessary.
Notes
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in March 2012, but was rewritten and republished with step by step instructions and hints & tips in February 2020.
I like to serve this Thai spiced curried lentil soup with my root vegetable bread. Love Thai food? Then check out my Vegan Red Thai Curry!
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I make an awful lot of soups myself and always think Thai spices work very well especially with the root veg you used. Impressive to hear you made the butter & bread too!
Helen
Thanks Laura, I now freeze my Thai curry pastes, they seem not to go solid and you can spoon them out of the jar.
Love soup – my lunchtime staple.
Heather @girlichef
Being the American that I am, I had to look up the word Swede (I was assuming it wasn’t a person from Sweden…). Rutabaga. Cool, I love learning new things ;). I love creating delicious dishes from the dregs of the fridge and pantry. This sounds beautiful, I love the combo of the sweeter root veg w/ the lentils and curry. Delicious. Thank you for sharing it w/ MLLA this month!
Helen
On my to do list is to make my site more American friendly. I had forgotton that swedes are rutabagas the other side of the Atlantic!
Janice
Sounds good and beautifully styled.
Helen
Thanks Janice.
I put a board on the bed and use that as my studio as the bedroom has the best daytime light! ;-)
Lisa
Thank you so much for your submission to our event. I sore adore homemade Thai food.
Helen
Thanks for hosting it Lisa, it has been far too long since I took part in NCR!
A Trifle Rushed
This sounds so delicious. I may try it in France, our neighbours and friends there are always amazed that we Brits eat swede as it’s used mainly as animal feed, so I always try and include it somewhere in my cooking.
Like Laura I’m very impressed at homemade butter! You are certainly inspiring, thank you.
Helen
I am amazed that anyone eats swede too. I am really NOT a fan! It comes in the co-op bag. I would not choose to buy it!
hemalata
Delicious looking Thai coconut soup.
Helen
Roots are great Karen! Cheap and if treated well delicious!