Coconut and Lime SoupCoconut and Lime Soup
This soup is amazingly versatile as the base itself is perfect for all kinds of vegetables, sea food or even chicken or rice. I usually serve it with vegetables only although sometimes if I have leftover noodles, I add them to the soup as well. It is also lightly spicy and has a very fresh taste what with the lemon, lime and lemon grass (without the soup tasting like dishwasher liquid). I like soups like this to be on the sweeter side (spicy and sweet) but if you like a more tangy soup you can omit the agave nectar.
The soup is perfect for those with lactose and gluten intolerance.
You can freeze the soup base but I wouldn't add the pepper or the pak choi until the base is thawed (so that it doesn't become mushy). Note that you will need a food processor or a hand mixer for this recipe.
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- Egg free
- Gluten free
- Lactose (dairy) free
- Vegan
Coconut and Lime Soup
Ingredients
- Half an onion, chopped coarsely
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped coarsely
- Half a chili pepper (green), de-seeded and chopped coarsely
- A quarter pepper (red), sliced thinly
- Small piece fresh ginger (similar to a large grape in size), chopped finely
- 2 stalks lemon grass, chopped finely
- 100 grams (3½ oz) pak choi, chopped coarsely
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 200 millilitres (7 fluid oz) water
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 yeast free vegetable stock cube
- 400 millilitres (14 fluid oz) coconut milk
- 175 grams (6 oz) bean sprouts
- Half a lime (juice only)
- Half a lemon (juice only)
- One handful fresh coriander, chopped finely (leaves only)
- A pinch of salt (Himalaya or sea salt)
- A pinch of pepper (black)
Preparation
- Peel the onion and the garlic. Chop coarsely.
- Cut the chili in halves (you will only need half of the chili pepper), scoop out the seeds and membranes and chop finely. You might want to use plastic gloves if you have sensitive skin.
- Chop the handful coriander leaves and set aside.
- Halve the pepper, discard the stem and scoop out the seeds. Slice a quarter of the pepper finely.
- Peel the small piece of ginger (the skin is very thin, you can scrape it off with a teaspoon or a small knife) and chop finely.
- Trim the lemon grass root and the tough top away, leaving about 15 centimetres (6 inches) of stem, remove the outer skin and chop the lemon grass finely.
- Wash the 100 grams pak choi and chop coarsely.
- Place garlic, onion, ginger, chili and lemon grass in a food processor (or use a hand mixer) and blend for about 10 seconds or until thoroughly chopped and well combined.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large sauce pan. Transfer the mixture from the food processor to the saucepan and heat on medium heat for 5 minutes or until deliciously fragrant.
- Add 400 millilitres coconut milk, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, 200 millilitres water, 1 vegetable stock cube, 175 grams bean sprouts and the pak choi. Heat without boiling for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened (but not mushy).
- Slice the lemon and the lime and squeeze juice from half of the lemon and half of the lime into the saucepan.
- Add the coriander leaves and heat until almost boiling.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in deep bowls.
Tips
- You can add all kinds of ingredients into the soup. It is the perfect base for sea food as well as chicken, vegetables, tofu, cooked rice and noodles.
- Pak choi is also called hakusai, bai cai or Chinese cabbage. You will find it in the lettuce section in larger supermarkets or supermarkets that specialise in Asian foods.
- If the coconut oil is cold (in which case it becomes solid), place the jar in a bowl filled with hot water for a couple of minutes.
- You can use regular stock cubes instead of yeast free ones.
- You can use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock.
- If you have any leftover coconut milk, pour into an ice cube tray and use later.
