Green lentils, spinach, and coconut soup
| March 11, 2010 | Posted by ameliaps under coconut, lentils, soup, soups, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian |
I always try to save my vegetable left-over bits from cooking in a large bowl that I keep in the refrigerator, as I do not like wasting food. Lots of things go in there: onion peels, leek fronds, soft celery stalks, carrot peels, de-kerneled corn cobs, green-beans ends, cawliflower bottoms and leaves, parsley stems, spinach leaves, and more.
At the end of the week I have soup! I start with vegetable stock (add in a bone or two from the freezer if you have one). I used this week’s vegetable stock to make a simple but satisfying vegetarian soup, with green lentils, spinach, and coconut. The green lentils maintain their crunch and texture better than the regular ones and have a wonderful nutty flavor. What a great lunch! I dipped it with some naan bread, briefly sent in the toaster oven to warm up. But it would also go great with long grain rice, such as basmati. It has an Indian wannabe taste. Sorry if it’s not authentic 
Vegetable stock
To make the vegetable stock, simple toss a bunch of vegetable pieces and kitchen-herbs saved up over the week in a big stock-pot, add a few peppercorns and salt (not too much: you will have to re-season at the end), a bay leaf, and an onion cut in half (if its not alredy in the vegetable bunch). Sometimes I throw in a clove or a half cinnamon stick for a sweet aroma. You can also add some garlic if you like it stronger. Cover with cold water and simmer on low for a half hour. Strain. Taste and re-season. There’s no rules and no doses really, just your kitchen instinct. And that’s a wonderful thing.
Green lentils, spinach, and coconut soup
Serves 4
1 cup green lentils
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds (if you have them)
1 Tbsp curry powder (or turmeric or garam masala, whatever suits you)
5 cups vegetable stock (you might have to add more if needed)
14 fl. oz canned coconut milk
Half a bag of baby spinach, rinsed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Rinse the green lentils and make sure you remove any grits or stones. Set aside.
In a large pan heat the oil, then add the onion, garlic, cumin, mustard seeds and curry. Allow the onion to wilt. Add the lentils, vegetable stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are tender (you might have to add more hot stock or water if it gets absorbed too fast). Right before serving, add the spinach and stir just until it wilts. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup hot, with warm naan bread (you can also substitute pita or other flatbread) or long grain rice (such as basmati or jasmin).
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Homemade vegetable stock makes so much sense. Why haven't I thought of this… Thank you! And your soup looks excellent. I'm a coconut lover, lentil lover, spinach lover. Add some naan and I'm a very happy girl.
Denise: the stock thing has been something our great-grandparents used to do but then in an era of ready-made and of waste has lost its roots, unfortunately. You can do the same thing with meats: save the bones, skins, and fat trimmings in the freezer until you have enough to make soup. And I say, save in the freezer because that keeps it fresher and you never know when you'll need it. Home made meat stock makes no doubt the best risotto.