Thai Red Lentil Soup with Aromatic Chile Oil from "Plenty More"

There's nothing better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter's night. I consider soup to be the salad of winter. What do I mean by that? Salads are my summer go-to, a "comfort food" if you will as it fits so well with the season. And there are so many variations when it comes to salads. No longer are they just a mound of lettuce with some tomatoes and cucumbers and maybe those julienne carrots. The possibilities are infinite by using what's in season - adding grains, or meat, or beans to "bulk" up the salad. In the wintertime, the same applies to a bowl of soup. Homemade soup does not have to stop at chicken noodle, tomato, or minestrone. Here too, the variations are endless.

To date, one of my favorite soup recipes has been one that I picked up from a co-worker's cookbook, oddly enough, called "Food from Plenty" by Diana Henry. The recipe for her Moroccan Lentil Soup with Yogurt and Chilli-Fried Onions (found here) is both deliciously comforting and complex in flavor, yet relatively easy to make. I've made it for dinner parties with rave reviews. There's something about a red lentil and some spice that can make a soup a home run.

When browsing through "Plenty More" I was, not surprisingly, intrigued when I came across a variation on a red lentil soup. This time taking on Thai flavors instead of Moroccan as in my go-to recipe. While I typically have more of the ingredients for the Moroccan style on hand as compared to Ottolenghi's Thai version - the number of ingredients for this soup is relatively few - making it another potential go-to for a quick, tasty winter (or autumn) soup.

Ingredients for the Chile-Infused Oil

The two components to the soup that actually took the bulk of the time to make were not the soup itself but rather the toppings: the chile-infused oil and the sliced sugar snap peas. Both of which could be excluded if you are short on time. Still, as my first run-through with this recipe, I didn't want to take any short cuts.

The preparation for the chile-oil was actually pretty simple. Cut up shallots, chile, ginger, garlic, etc. You don't have to be meticulous with chopping because the ingredients are simply there to infuse into the oil and will later be discarded. The only reason why I mention that this step could be skipped is because it is simply a bit time consuming - taking up approximately an hour with cooling time. But, the good thing is, once you've made it, you now have a delicious chile oil that you can keep on hand for other dishes. So if you have the time, make the effort - especially if serving this dish to guests. The homemade chile oil adds that "wow" factor that elevates this soup to a new level.

The other step that could possibly be skipped is the blanching and chopping (and altogether use) of the sugar snap peas. Though I admit I loved the slight crunch, brightness, and sweetness that the sugar snap peas brought to the dish - the slicing part is again, a bit time consuming as compared to the time required to make the soup itself. So again, if you are in a hurry, skip it....if not, you'll be happy when your spoonful of soup is both complex and refreshing at the same time.

The soup itself only takes about 35 minutes to make - which, for a weeknight meal, that is quite reasonable. The portion says it serves four. I'd argue it would be more like 3 depending on how you are serving this. Derek and I used the soup as the main part of our meal, complimented by a bit of pan-fried halibut. We ate probably more than 3/4 the recipe with a little bit leftover for a light bowl of soup. If cooking for more than two, I'd go ahead and double the recipe (for the soup only, not the chile oil) because leftovers are a wonderful thing.

Thai Red Lentil Soup with Aromatic Chile Oil from Plenty More (page 89)

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 oz/120 g sugar snap peas
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups/160 g)
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegetarian red curry paste
• 2 lemongrass stalks, gently bashed with a rolling pin 
• 4 fresh Kaffir lime leaves (or 12 dried)
• 1 1/4 cups/250 g red lentils
• 1 cups/250 ml coconut milk (I added a bit more but used light coconut milk)
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 cup/15 g cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• salt

Chile-infused oil

• 3/4 cup/180 ml sunflower oil
• 1 banana shallot, or 2 regular shallots, coarsely chipped (1/2 cup/50 g)
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 red chile, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 star anise pod
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• grated zest of 1/2 small lemon

Instructions:

1. First make the chile oil. Heat 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, chile, star anise, and curry powder and fry over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the shallot is soft. Add the tomato paste and cook gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining oil and the lemon zest and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Leave to cool and then strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.
2. For the soup, bring a small pan of water to a boil and throw in the sugar snap peas. Cook for 90 seconds, drain, refresh under cod water, and set aside to dry. Once cool, cut them on the diagonal into slices 1/16-inch/2-mm thick.
3. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pot and add the onion. Cook over low heat, with a lid on, for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the onion is completely soft and sweet. Stir in the red curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, red lentils, and 3 cups/700 ml water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils are completely soft.
4. Remove the soup from the heat and take out and discard the lemongrass and lime leaves. Use a blender to process the soup until it is completely smooth. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir. Return the soup to medium heat, and once the soup is almost boiling, ladle into bowls. Scatter the snap peas on top, sprinkle with the cilantro, and finish with 1/2 teaspoon chile oil drizzled over each portion.

I really loved how creamy this soup was. Pureeing the red lentils adds a viscosity to the soup that is hearty and comforting. This also makes the soup quite filling and suitable for a stand-alone meal (with some crusty bread - of course.....one of the few delights that I miss after going gluten-free). Instead of a lovely baguette, we chose to serve this with a mild, sweet halibut - simply prepared to complement the flavor-packed soup.

Ottolenghi seems to be a master at balancing flavors as I have been supremely impressed with the recipes that I've tried to date. This Thai soup has a kick of heat (but not too much), a depth of flavor provided by the lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves, richness from the coconut milk, and umami from the soy sauce. It's tangy, but rich and spicy, and fresh.......a real party for your taste buds.

Now I have two killer red lentil soups in my repertoire!