creamy carrot and coconut milk soup with thai red curry

it's me! i'm here! i haven't been gone far, not at all-- i've been in my kitchen, cooking away, but seem to have let post-to-blog time slip out of my schedule. in fact, i'm sitting on 5 blog posts right now, just waiting for me to feature a pic and do the typy-typy thing to get them out. hopefully i'll make it through that pile in the next couple of weeks!

the next post in the queue was supposed to be a braised cabbage dish, but today is valentine's day, and even on my very best days i'd have a hard time making braised cabbage seem sexy. this carrot and coconut milk soup with red curry, on the other hand, is a different story entirely. it is velvety, spicy, creamy and rich, and, dare i say, exciting.

as usual, rob's reaction to what i cook is part of my evaluation of the dish. i'm almost always a minute or so behind him to sit down to eat because i hang behind to put away cat-temping ingredients and perishables. normally, once i get to the table i get the assessment from rob. this time, he left the table and met me in the kitchen to tell me how "freakin' awesome" this soup was. i agree! it's a thick, savory soup with a hint of sweetness from winter carrots (they're sweeter after the frost), and the creamy coconut milk balances the heat from the curry and chili sauce perfectly. it's so thick and rich that, if we'd had leftovers, i'd have considered serving them over rice like a curry dish.

the spices can be adjusted according to your own heat and spice preferences. use veggie broth for a vegan version.

carrot and coconut soup with thai red curry
from PCC natural markets, also printed in edible seattle's january 2009 issue

3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
7-8 large carrots, cleaned and sliced
1/2 tsp thai red curry paste
1/4 cup thai sweet chili sauce (we used chili sauce, not labeled as "sweet")
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup coconut milk (we used light)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime wedges

heat oil over medium heat in soup pot. add garlic and ginger and saute one minute. add broth and carrots and simmer about 15 minutes, or until carrots are softened. let cool slightly and puree in blender or using an immersion blender in the pot.

return mixture to pot and add red curry paste, chili sauce, soy sauce and black pepper. simmer 5 minutes. stir in coconut milk and cilantro. adjust seasonings to taste, and serve with lime wedges.

sources:
carrots from nash's organic produce
garlic from anselmos farm
chicken stock made from stokesberry farm chicken