If you like Thai food and all of those wonderful flavors, here is my interpretation in a soup. This Spicy Thai Carrot Soup uses some common Thai ingredients to create a luscious bowl of vegan carrot heaven.
This was my fourth or fifth version of carrot soup and I finally hit on a winner!
Carrots, sweet potato, onions, garlic, coconut milk and Sambal Oelek (ground fresh chili paste) all add to the sweet and spicy allure of this soup.
I will offer a more elaborate explanation about the items I like to stock in my pantry later but for Thai food, I always stock coconut milk, lime, garlic and chili paste. If you keep those few simple items on hand, you can always whip something up reminiscent of your favorite Thai restaurant.
I used my Easy Vegetable Stock recipe for this soup and have made it a habit to make this stock at the end of the week with leftover vegetables so it is ready to use over the next couple of days in a soup or a risotto recipe.
Other important elements in this soup are cilantro and basil. I happen to have a small vegetable and herb garden and highly recommend it to anyone who has the space to plant one, even in a small corner of a garden. It is also possible to grow many herbs indoors.
The herbs I find the most useful for Thai food are basil, cilantro and mint. You will be amazed at the difference fresh-picked herbs will make in your cooking – there is no comparison to store bought!!
PrintSpicy Thai Carrot Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A luscious, velvety, sweet, spicy Thai inspired carrot soup.
Ingredients
- 10 carrots
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon of Sambal Oelek (ground fresh chili paste)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Juice from 1 lime
- Cilantro and basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Peel carrots and cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Peel sweet potato and cut into 1/4″ rounds.
- Toss carrots and sweet potato with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Place in oven and roast for 25 minutes or until starting to brown and caramelize. Remove from oven.
- In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep soup pan. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and sauté for another minute. Add chili paste and stir.
- Add carrots and sweet potatoes, broth, coconut milk and a teaspoon of salt, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Let soup cool for 10 minutes then blend in batches to avoid blender explosions. Place back in soup pot over a low flame, finish with lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with chopped basil, cilantro, mint or a combination of the three and lime wedges.
Notes
You may need to add additional stock or water to thin the soup slightly after blending or when reheating.
The sweet potato is not necessary in this recipe but lends to the smoothness of the soup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
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