The thing that Thai food gets just right is the balance of sweet and spicy. While the chili sauce raises the heat, the coconut cools it down. This soup takes notes from the Southeast Asian cuisine, but it’s completely accessible to everyday cooks.

After becoming a huge fan of Carrot Ginger soup last year, I thought I’d expand my carrot cuisine, and try a different take — Carrot Coconut soup. While this soup would be good all year long, the colors and flavors make it perfect for fall. I served it with a gooey brie grilled cheese on multigrain bread and a smear of apricot jam. The consistency of this soup is perfect for dunking.


Carrot Coconut Soup

Serves about 4

Ingredients

  • 1/4 butter (or olive oil if you’re vegan)
  • 1 pound carrots, washed, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 cups (1 can) vegetable broth, (chicken broth if non-vegetarian)
  • 14 oz (1 can) coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp Thai-style chili sauce (plus more for garnish and serving)
  • cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-heat. Add onions and carrots to pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook until carrots are softened and onions translucent (about 20 minutes) — making sure not to brown them. Stir often.
  2. Add broth, coconut milk and chili sauce to pot and stir.
  3. Bring pot to boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 35-40 minutes or until veggies are soft and liquid is reduced a bit.
  4. Transfer about 1/3 of the contents to a blender — being sure to get some solids and liquids — and purée until smooth. Pour into medium serving bowl. Repeat with the other two thirds. (An immersion blender directly applied to the pot of ingredients will also work.)
  5. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
  6. Serve with more chili sauce if you like more heat, and cilantro for garnish.

*Soup stores well, so make ahead by a few days, chill and serve up to 3 days later.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit

 

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Author

Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.