Soup #47 / Carrot & Coconut Soup

I've been wanting to make this soup ever since I saw it posted last week on Tracy Shutterbean's site. It just sounded so yummy. So yesterday when I was working late at work E asked me what I wanted for dinner.  I sent over this recipe and was so excited when it was waiting and ready for me when I got home. We had ours in small bowls, topped with Sriracha, with a side of potstickers - yum! P.S. This is the second soup recipe I've tried from shutterbean.com  (here's the first)- you should totally check her site out - it's pretty, fun, and has AMAZING recipes! Thanks Tracy Shutterbean!

What you will need:

4 tbsp butter (unsalted)

1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz) of unsweetened coconut milk

1 tbsp sambal oelek (thai chili sauce)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sriracha

How to make it: 

In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat, adding in carrots and onion as it is melting. Stir frequently, and cook until the carrots are soft and the onions are translucent. Add in the broth, coconut milk and sambal oelek. Add salt and pepper. 

Cook together and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer about 40 minutes until the liquid has reduced down a bit and you have soft, tender veggies. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. 

Transfer soup to a blender, or use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the desired consistency. Return the soup to the pot and reheat, adding water to thin, or reducing slightly to thicken, as desired. Add salt and pepper again to taste. Ladle into bowls and add a dash of sriracha for extra heat. Enjoy!

The verdict: Success! The sambal oelek added more heat than I had anticipated, so it was a little hot for E, and just right for me. I still added sriracha (i ate the photo bowl) and that might have been a bit too much (i also had chapped lips that were burning and making me regret every bite!), the spice is an awesome compliment to the soup. I loved the flavor the coconut milk added to the soup and would def. make this again, maybe as an appetizer in shooters. Also, totally going to put this out there - it made an awesome dipping sauce for our pot stickers!

What we'd do differently: E might tell you that he would rather skip the coconut milk, or maybe less sambal oelek. I say more carrots. It may have been that our carrots were sitting in the fridge too long, but I felt like they weren't as flavorful in the soup as I had imagined. Overall, I loved it!

XO