Curried lentil, tomato, and coconut soup

Adapted this recipe from Ottolenghi: Simple cookbook. Added sweet potatoes and corn, along with a splash of lemon juice at the end.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil or sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped (1¼ cups/160g)
• 1 tbsp medium curry powder
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2-inch/5cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (rounded ¼ cup/30g)
• ¾ cup/150g red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 (14.5 oz/400g) can chopped tomatoes
• 1¼ cups/25g cilantro stems, roughly chopped, plus ¼ cup/5g leaves, to garnish
• 2½ cups/600ml water
• salt and black pepper
• 1 (13.5oz/400ml) can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Put the oil into a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and caramelized. Add the curry powder, pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger and continue to fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the lentils, sweet potatoes, and corn and stir through for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, cilantro stems, water, 1 tsp of salt, and a very generous grind of pepper.
2. Pour the coconut milk into a bowl and gently whisk until smooth and creamy. Set aside ¼ cup/60ml—you’ll need this when serving—and add all the remaining coconut milk to the soup. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still holding their shape. Add a little bit more water—about 7-10 tbsp/100-150ml—if your soup needs thinning. Add lemon juice.
3. Divide the soup among four bowls, drizzle with the reserved coconut milk, sprinkle with cilantro leaves, and serve.