When I traveled to Chiang Mai in Thailand, one of the first things I did was look for a cooking class to learn how to make authentic Thai food. I luckily found an organic farm that held cooking classes every day, so of course I jumped all over that. Of the things I learned at the cooking course, making homemade curry paste by using a giant mortar and pestle and pounding the bajeezus out of chilies, herbs, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime, lemon grass and more was one of my favorite things. Curry paste is an aromatic mixture of delicious spices and herbs, and once created into curry, tastes amazing.

This recipe is a bit of a play off Thai curry, plus carrots and soup. Not exactly Thai food, but I don’t really play by the rules. I love the flavors of curry powder and coconut milk, so infusing the two in a creamy soup plus carrots and ginger seemed like the perfect idea. And…it definitely was.

This soup is wonderful for an early autumn evening or lunch. It’s warming, spicy, soothing, and oh so good for you. All those carrots deliver a hefty dose of phytonutrients: important plant based chemicals that provide antioxidants to nourish every cell in your body. These carrots also pack in plenty of Vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy skin, hair, teeth, soft tissue, and excellent eyesight. More stellar soup ingredients include detoxifying ginger, antioxidant-rich onions, anti-inflammatory turmeric in curry powder, and nourishing coconut milk.

Enjoy your not-quite-Thai-curry-carrot soup! I hope you love it!

Carrot & Coconut Curried Soup

Serves 2

1 T coconut oil
½ medium white onion, peeled and chopped
4 cups carrots, unpeeled and chopped (I used about 9 small carrots)
2 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 T fresh ginger root, chopped
½ T curry powder (or more If you like it spicy!)
Dash of chili flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup coconut milk (or more to tone down the spicy)
Sprinkle of cilantro for garnish (optional)
Squeeze of lime (optional)

In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add in onions and sauté for about 5-8 minutes, until they become soft translucent. Add in carrots and sauté for about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

In the cup of a high-speed blender* combine onion, carrots, vegetable stock, ginger, curry powder, chili flakes, and freshly ground salt and pepper. Blend on the highest speed for about 3-4 minutes, or until steam starts to escape through the lid. Turn off blender and add in coconut milk. Blend again on high speed for about 30 seconds. Pour soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and chili flakes if desired. Enjoy!

*If you do not have a high-speed blender, cook carrots about 5 minutes longer in the skillet. Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, blend batches of carrots, onion, and ginger until thick and creamy. Add pureed mixture to a large pot with vegetable stock, curry powder, chili flakes, and freshly ground salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 5-10 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour into bowls, garnish with cilantro, lime, and chili flakes and enjoy!