Most people who've eaten at my home know that I love to add fresh herbs and spices to the dishes. While they might seem like they are there for color and texture, I often add as many herbs and spices for their curative properties. I am also usually pretty careful about the quality of the oils I use too. This soup is filled with just a few of my favorite things: lemongrass, tumeric, corriander, onions and coconut. These come packed with heaps of anti-inflamatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial benefits. It's also gluten and dairy free!
This recipe was inspired years back from a wonderful trip to the Datai, in Langkawi Malaysia, where I had the pleasure of ordering something quite similar for dinner at the restaurant one evening
This recipe was inspired years back from a wonderful trip to the Datai, in Langkawi Malaysia, where I had the pleasure of ordering something quite similar for dinner at the restaurant one evening
 | Ingredients (serves 6) Soup White onion, 1 large Lemongrass, 8 stalks Olive oil, 2 tablespoons Tumeric, 1 small root (or 1 teaspoon of powder) Sweetcorn (preferably GMO-free), 6 ears Water, preferably filtered, 3 cups Coconut cream, 5 cups (I like Kara brand) Sea salt and pepper to taste Coriander* oil Corriander leaves and roots, 1 large stalk Olive Oil: 5 tablespoons * - also called cilantro |
A) Prepare Ingredients
Onion - chop roughly into squares
Lemongrass - cut off long stalks, and set aside. Cut hearts into rough rings.
Coriander root - clean and chop.
Tumeric - if using fresh tumeric, remove skin and grate roughly into shreds.
Sweetcorn - remove husk. Roughly cut off kernels for 5 ears of corn using a knife. For last ear of corn, removely more gently and neatly -- reserve separately.
Water - boil and set aside.
B) Cook Soup
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over low heat.
Brown onions slowly to release sweetness.
Raise heat. Add lemongrass hearts, coriander root and continue to cook.
Add corn kernels and heat through.
Add boiling water and lemon grass stalks.
Turn up heat till soup is on a rolling boil.
Then, turn down heat and simmer till sweet corn is cooked through.
Remove from heat. Discard long lemong grass stalks.
Put soup through a blender or food processor and pulse till smooth.
Take a colander or fine sieve and strain the soup through.
Discard what is retained in the colander (note: I often run 1/2 cup of water through this to remove the remaining "flavor) and add to the soup.
Return the soup to the pot. Add the reserved corn kernels and reheat.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
C) Finishing Oil
Heat a little water and blanch the corriander leaves and roots.
Quickly remove and place in cold water to retain color.
Roughly chop and add to the olive oil.
Pulse thoroughly using a hand-held blender.
Set aside.
Onion - chop roughly into squares
Lemongrass - cut off long stalks, and set aside. Cut hearts into rough rings.
Coriander root - clean and chop.
Tumeric - if using fresh tumeric, remove skin and grate roughly into shreds.
Sweetcorn - remove husk. Roughly cut off kernels for 5 ears of corn using a knife. For last ear of corn, removely more gently and neatly -- reserve separately.
Water - boil and set aside.
B) Cook Soup
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over low heat.
Brown onions slowly to release sweetness.
Raise heat. Add lemongrass hearts, coriander root and continue to cook.
Add corn kernels and heat through.
Add boiling water and lemon grass stalks.
Turn up heat till soup is on a rolling boil.
Then, turn down heat and simmer till sweet corn is cooked through.
Remove from heat. Discard long lemong grass stalks.
Put soup through a blender or food processor and pulse till smooth.
Take a colander or fine sieve and strain the soup through.
Discard what is retained in the colander (note: I often run 1/2 cup of water through this to remove the remaining "flavor) and add to the soup.
Return the soup to the pot. Add the reserved corn kernels and reheat.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
C) Finishing Oil
Heat a little water and blanch the corriander leaves and roots.
Quickly remove and place in cold water to retain color.
Roughly chop and add to the olive oil.
Pulse thoroughly using a hand-held blender.
Set aside.
D) Assemble and Serve
Fine a nice soup bowl or plate.
Fill with soup. Add a drizzle of the finishing oil.
Serving notes:
It's quite a rich soup. I often like to serve this in a little tea cup and let my guests decide if they would like a second helping.
If you are not dairy intolerant, you can replace the olive oil with a little butter. If you like it less rich, feel free to replace 1 cup of coconut milk with regular milk or low-fat milk.
Fine a nice soup bowl or plate.
Fill with soup. Add a drizzle of the finishing oil.
Serving notes:
It's quite a rich soup. I often like to serve this in a little tea cup and let my guests decide if they would like a second helping.
If you are not dairy intolerant, you can replace the olive oil with a little butter. If you like it less rich, feel free to replace 1 cup of coconut milk with regular milk or low-fat milk.
#glutenfree #diaryfree #homerecipes #dinnerpartyrecipe #tumericbenefits #coconutbenefits #lemongrassrecipe #asianfusionrecipes #antioxidantrich #antiinflammatory #cookingwithflavor
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