Coconut Curry Soup

From Won Kim

One more soup from January 9’s celebration of cumin, cilantro, cardamom, and coriander — this a Southeast Asian-inspired pot of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.

Ingredients
1. Broth

3 onions quartered
4 carrots roughly chopped
4 celery sticks roughly chopped
8 cups of water
1 stick of lemongrass
1 knob of ginger peeled and sliced
6 cloves of garlic
peppercorns
2 star anise

2. Flavoring

6 cloves of garlic
1 bunch cilantro leaves
4 limes squeezed
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon of cayenne
2 roasted poblanos (seeded, deveined, and peeled)
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
a pinch of sugar
salt (to your heart’s content)

3. Veggies

carrots
potatoes
onions
celery
firm tofu
red peppers
kale

Preparation
Toss all of the ingredients for broth (#1) into a stock pot and boil. You don’t have to skim the broth, but I like to skim a little bit of the vegetable scum that forms along the side. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for at least 2 hours. Strain and continue to simmer.

While simmering, place all flavoring ingredients (#2) into a blender and puree until a thick paste forms.

Dice and slice all vegetables (#3) so that they are evenly sized.

Once you have everything chopped and pureed, place everything into the heated stock and heat through until potatoes are cooked all the way. Season and taste as you go. Finish by drizzling in coconut milk and mixing evenly.