Thai-Style Lentil and Coconut Soup

Brent got me this great cookbook a few years ago: The Complete Book of 400 Soups . Now, it would be great if June meant that soup season was over, however for those of us on the Wet Coast, summer seems a far off dream right now. So yesterday I opened up this book to try and find a soup that was a little different from anything I've made before. This soup is from the Hot and Spicy section, and I made a few modifications. Overall, a great lunch time soup for this dreary Juneuary.

Thai-Style Lentil and Coconut Soup
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 red onions, finely chopped
- 1 chilli, seeded and finely sliced (the recipe called for a 'bird's eye' chilli, I just grabbed a random one, may have been a jalapeno?)
- 1 inch piece fresh lemon grass, outer layers removed and inside finely sliced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 tsp freshly ground coriander
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 3 3/4 cups liquid (I used half vegetable broth, half water, recipe just called for water)
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in dutch oven and add onions, chilli, garlic, lemon grass and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions have softened but not browned, stirring occasionally.

Add lentils and spices. Pour in coconut milk and liquid, and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 40-45 minutes, until lentils are soft.

Pour in lime juice and add scallions and coriander, reserving a little of each for the garnish. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

The original recipe did not call for ginger, but it just seemed like a natural addition to the flavours. I was also out of paprika, but don't think it missed the 1 tsp, although feel free to add it.

The soup is great, now if I could just find something to do with that second stalk of lemongrass I have!