Thai green curry and lemongrass soup

Name: Thai green curry and lemongrass soup
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Thai,Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil; 2 eschalots (French shallots), sliced; 3 lemongrass stems, white part only, finely sliced; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbsp excellent quality green curry paste; 1 x 400ml can coconut milk, reserving 2 tbsp to serve (see below); 1 cup (250ml) vegetable or chicken stock; 500g frozen peas; fish sauce, to season; lime juice, to season

Katrina Meynink

July 16, 2024

Strewn with puffed wild rice and crispy shallots, this is not your usual pea soup.Katrina Meynink

Time:< 30 minsServes:6

Built around frozen peas, this soup gets a tick for convenience and delivers bags of flavour in very little time.

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
2 eschalots (French shallots), sliced
3 lemongrass stems, white part only, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp excellent quality green curry paste
1 x 400ml can coconut milk, reserving 2 tbsp to serve (see below)
1 cup (250ml) vegetable or chicken stock
500g frozen peas
fish sauce, to season
lime juice, to season

To serve

2 tbsp reserved coconut milk
3 makrut lime leaves, finely sliced
¼ cup puffed wild rice (see below)
crispy fried shallots
coriander leaves, to scatter

Puffed wild rice

2 tsp vegetable oil
¼ cup wild rice

Method

Step 1
Add the coconut oil to a deep-sided frying pan or large saucepan and place over low heat. Once hot, add the eschalots and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lemongrass, garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is fragrant and looks as if it is separating. Add the coconut milk and stock, stir to combine, then add the peas. Simmer gently for 5 minutes or until hot.
Step 2
Use a stick blender or food processor/blender to blitz until smooth. Season to taste with fish sauce and lime juice. If it is too spicy or thick, thin it with a little more coconut milk or water. Keep warm.
Step 3
To make the puffed wild rice, heat a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Once the pot is hot, add the vegetable oil. Add the wild rice and shake the pan vigorously to coat the wild rice with the oil (note: unlike with popcorn, there’s no need to place the lid on). Once you hear a popping sound, reduce the heat to medium-low and keep shaking the pan until the popping slows. Immediately pour through a strainer set over a bowl and shake the strainer to remove any excess oil.
Step 4
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with a drizzle of coconut milk, the finely sliced makrut lime leaves, puffed wild rice, fried shallots and coriander leaves. Serve hot.