Quick Thai Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Virgin coconut oil (Unrefined, or substitute any plain cooking oil)
• 0.25 cup Thai red curry paste (Use up to 1/2 cup (115 g) for a medium-spicy soup; 1/4 cup is mild. Maesri is recommended in the source.)
• 1 tbsp Garlic (Finely grated)
• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger (Finely grated)
• 1.5 cup Dried split red lentils (Do not use canned lentils. Split yellow lentils may be substituted; cook about 5 minutes longer.)
• 600 g Butternut pumpkin or squash (Peeled and cut into 1.5 cm / 0.6-inch cubes; about 3 cups. Regular pumpkin may be used instead.)
• 400 ml Full-fat coconut cream (Use coconut cream, not coconut milk. Reserve 1 tbsp for the drizzle.)
• 2 cup Low-sodium vegetable stock
• 2.5 cup Water (Plus a splash of hot water if the soup becomes too thick)
• 2 tsp Fish sauce (For a vegetarian version, use 3 tsp soy sauce instead)
• 1 cup Baby spinach (Tightly packed)
• Lime (Cut into wedges; squeeze over the soup before serving. Essential garnish.)
• 2 tbsp Cilantro (Chopped leaves; recommended garnish)
• Sliced fresh chili (Optional garnish)
• Crispy shallots (Optional garnish)
• Roti, naan, flatbread, or crusty bread (For dunking. Frozen roti can be pan-fried from frozen for about 3 minutes.)

Steps

1. 1

   Scoop 1 tablespoon of the coconut cream from the can into a small bowl. Whisk it with a little milk or water until thin enough to drizzle, then set it aside for serving.

2. 2

   Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat until melted and shimmering.

3. 3

   Add the Thai red curry paste, grated garlic, and grated ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the paste is fragrant and has darkened slightly. Do not skip this step; cooking the paste improves the flavor.

4. 4

   Add the remaining coconut cream, fish sauce or soy sauce, vegetable stock, water, and dried split red lentils. Stir well to combine.

5. 5

   Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-high so it continues at a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. 6

   Add the cubed pumpkin or butternut squash. Return the soup to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and the lentils have softened and broken down into a creamy base.

7. 7

   Stir in the baby spinach and cook briefly until wilted, about 1–2 minutes.

8. 8

   Check the consistency. If the soup is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water until it reaches a creamy, spoonable consistency.

9. 9

   Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with the reserved thinned coconut cream and garnish with cilantro, sliced chili, and crispy shallots if using.

10. 10

    Serve immediately with lime wedges and squeeze lime juice over each bowl before eating. Serve with roti, naan, flatbread, or crusty bread for dunking.

Notes

For mild soup, use 1/4 cup red curry paste; up to 1/2 cup produces a medium-spicy soup. Whole green, brown, or red lentils require approximately 30–40 additional minutes and may need more water; partially blend the soup to achieve the intended creamy texture, and add pumpkin partway through cooking. Sweet potato can replace pumpkin but should be added at the start of the simmer because it takes longer to cook. The source recommends roti as the best accompaniment.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main
• Southeast Asian
• Thai-inspired
• vegetarian option
• gluten-free without bread
• one-pot
• quick