Recipe of the Week: Coconut Red Curry Soup

We pretty much always have a pot of soup on the stove and it is our favourite thing for lunch. We are always on the look out for soups that are a complete meal. We tried this soup last week and were pretty happy with the results. It is good the next day – always an important consideration in our kitchen. Add a green salad and maybe some bread and you would have a light dinner. We also thought it might be good pureed with a nice garnish to be served as a first course for a dinner party . Cookbook author Deborah Madison says this recipe is a corrective for sniffles and allergies – an important consideration for the Canadian winter.Coconut Red Curry Soup with Butternut Squash and Lime1 small butternut squash4 tsp peanut oil1 cup minced onions2 garlic cloves, minced4 pieces galangal or slices fresh gingerGrated zest and juice of 1 large lime¼ tsp turmeric1 to 2 tsp Thai red chili paste4 cups vegetable stockSea salt¼ cup cilantro leaves2 tbsp basil leaves, thinly sliced1 can light coconut milk1 10 oz carton soft tofu

1. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, halve and scoop out the seeds, then dice into ½ cubes.2. Warm the oil in a wide soup pot. Add the onion, squash, garlic, galangal, lime zest and turmeric. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, then add the chili paste.3. Add ½ cup water and scrape pot to dilute the paste, then add stock and ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, dice the tofu into small cubes and prepare the cilantro and basil.4. Add the coconut milk to the soup, followed by the tofu. Simmer until the soup is hot again and the tofu is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt, adding more if necessary. Add the cilantro and basil, and squeeze in the juice from the lime.

Serves 4-6

This recipe is from This Can’t be Tofu! by Deborah Madison. Thanks to Treehugger Proggrrl for her recommendations of other Madison tomes. Available at ::Amazon