Thai red curry sweet potato & lentil soup recipe | Good Food

Units:

500g sweet potatoes (about 2 large)
unpeeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1 red onion
roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
large handful of coriander
finely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
2 garlic cloves
crushed
thumb-sized piece of ginger
grated
300g red lentils
rinsed
1 litre vegetable stock
400ml can coconut milk
½ lime
juiced

For the crispy peanut oil drizzle

4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 tsp mild chilli powder
2 tbsp salted peanuts
roughly chopped

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the sweet potatoes, red onion, olive oil, curry paste and plenty of seasoning together in a large roasting tin and bake for 15 mins until the sweet potatoes have started to soften.
step 2
Remove the tin from the oven and stir in the coriander, garlic, ginger and lentils. Pour over the stock and coconut milk, and stir everything well. Return to the oven for 20 mins until the lentils are tender.
step 3
Meanwhile, make the crispy peanut oil drizzle, if using. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat until just warm and cook the chilli powder and peanuts for a couple of minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
step 4
Remove the tin from the oven and stir in the lime juice. Blitz everything together using a hand blender until fairly smooth (or, tip everything into a blender and blitz in batches, if needed). Taste for seasoning, then reheat in the oven (or a pan, if you’ve used a blender). Once cool, will keep chilled in an airtight container for up to three days. To serve, reheat until piping hot, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen. The spiced oil is best eaten on the day it’s made.
step 5
Divide the soup between four bowls, drizzle over the crispy peanut oil, if using, and scatter over a few extra coriander leaves.