Coconut Red Lentil Soup

It is a grey, grey day in Fuerte.

The calima is coming in thick. Calima is the the hazy result of strong winds blowing from the Sahara Desert, across the Atlantic Ocean, bringing bits of sand and dust particles over to the Canaries. It looks a little something like this..

Satellite shot of the calima. (source: http://www.lanzaroteinformation.com)

Looking out from the terrace of Villa Azul on a clear day you can see down to the harbor, and across the water to Lanzarote.

But today, the same view has been seriously obscured.

 

So what was on the agenda for this evening? Stretchy pants, hot showers, tea, and coconut red lentil soup!

There is nothing more satisfying to me than a warm bowl of soup. I can appreciate soup any day of the year, but especially as the weather cools down, it's important to warm up from the inside out. This soup is thick in texture. Creamy coconut milk and hearty lentils are combined with toasted spices and dotted with raisins for a touch of sweetness. This soup and is a match made in heaved with cardamom scented brown rice and a dollop of plain yogurt.

Coconut Red Lentil Soup (serves 6-8)

•  2 cups red lentils
• 7 cups water
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 2.5 Tbsp curry powder 
• 2 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
• 8 scallions, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup golden raisins (brown is absolutely fine too, golden is great for the sake of appearance)  
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp sea salt
• Serve with cooked brown rice, plain yogurt, fresh coriander and/or extra scallions

 Directions 

1. Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Place them into a large soup pot with 7 cups of water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, adding diced carrot, and half of the ginger. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

2. Meanwhile, in a dry skillet, add curry powder over low heat. Toast until fragrant, being careful not to burn. This toasting really elevates the dish and adds depth in flavor. I was out of curry powder, so I used a 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chili powder, and a pinch of cardamom. 

Dry roasting my curry substitute

After your spices become fragrant, set them aside and wipe out the skillet.

3. Over medium heat, add ghee or olive oil to the skillet. Ghee, or clarified butter, will give you a distinctly rich and authentic Indian flavor. For some, this can be too rich with the coconut milk as well. Personally, I used olive oil. 

Scallion, fresh grated ginger, and raisins

 4. Add to the skillet your sliced scallion, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add in the tomato paste and saute for another few minutes, continue to stir. Finally, layer in the toasted curry powder and stir to fully combine.

Tomato-curry mixture. Beautiful, no?

 4. Add the tomato-curry mixture, coconut milk, and sea salt to your pot of lentils, stir to combine fully. Let your soup simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes. The longer you let it simmer, the more the lentils will break down and thicken your soup. 

5. Dish a portion of brown rice into your bowl, and pour your soup over the dop. Dollop with plain yogurt, and garnish with fresh coriander or scallion!

Stay warm and eat well my friends!

Ciao!