Lentil Soup with Spinach and Coconut Milk
Fasting Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes Soups and Stews
Prepared with a vegetable soup base, some Indian spices that go well with coconut milk and lots of greens, I ended up with a very filling and comforting aromatic soup.
Ingredients
350g green lentils
1 small onion (approx. 75g)
1 large red pepper (kapia or bell pepper)
1/2 bunch parsley
4 garlic cloves
3 teaspoons Garam Masala (I used store-bought spice, the one from Fuchs)
1 teaspoon dried crumbled thyme
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
150ml coconut milk (preferably light, but regular is ok too; or yogurt for a lacto-vegetarian version)
100g spinach
15 basil leaves
1-2 sprigs of dill
3 tablespoons oil
salt, black pepper
Servings: 6-7
How to prepare lentil soup with spinach and coconut milk
- Wash the lentils well and drain.
- Blend in a food processor (or with an immersion blender) the onion and 3/4 of the pepper cut into pieces, the parsley and garlic until you have as smooth a paste as possible.
- In a pot, heat the oil and add the vegetable paste. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until it becomes "dry" and you no longer smell raw vegetables (about 5 minutes).
- Add the rest of the pepper cut into cubes and all the spices (from Garam Masala to chili). Stir and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add the lentils and 8 cups of water (2L). Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are completely cooked.
- Add 3 teaspoons of salt, grind black pepper and let it simmer like this for another 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile add the coconut milk (if it is separated in the can, you can blend it in a food processor with a little hot soup, it will homogenize better), the spinach (whole if it is baby spinach; roughly chopped if it has large leaves) and the chopped herbs. Taste for salt at the end.
- Let the soup rest for at least 30 minutes, the flavors will blend together. Then you can serve it warm, sprinkled with extra chili flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
