cold (or hot) carrot and coconut soup

Very refreshing cold soup for hot days. Really easy to make.

It's a bright colour, and a nice fresh taste, with a hint of warmth in the aftertaste from the curry paste.

Prep time, five to ten minutes
Cooking time, ten minutes
But also allow 2-3 hours in the fridge to chill if serving cold, or time to re-heat if serving hot and you made it earlier.

(I've not made it hot as a winter soup but I don't see why it won't work! )

This will serve six to eight.

Ingredients

Carrots - about .75 kg
Lemongrass - one stalk. (If you can't get this, try the zest of a lime - won't be the same but a reasonable alternative.)
Coconut milk - 1 can
Red thai curry paste - I like the small plastic "1 dose" pots from Blue Dragon, I use the whole pot. Otherwise, to taste.

Reserve about 3 tablespoons of the thickest coconut milk, or use coconut cream. You need it to be about the consistency of not-whipped double cream, so it'll pour, but only slowly. This is merely for presentation, so optoinal.

Note I use a steamer, as I do with most of my veg. I've not tried it by boiling in a pan, I don't see why it won't work.

How to...

Peel and cut up the carrots, big chunks, just need to fit your steamer (or pan). Pop the carrot bits in.

Chop the root end off the lemongrass, peel away one tough outer layer and discard. Pop the rest in in one piece with the carrots.

Steam until the carrots are still firm but not crunchy/raw.

Allow to cool, pop carrots and the lemongrass stalk in a blender, along with most of the coconut milk (all of it if you're not saving some for presentation), and the red curry paste, and blitz. You want it to be very smooth, so you may need to pulse it for a while, and you may need to add a little water. You may find it's firm enough that the blades are blitzing what's at the bottom but it's not circulating so there's more at the top not fully blitzed. Take the time to make sure it all gets evenly smooshed. Taste, and if you think it needs it add a little salt and blitz again breifly to mix. I find that if I steam the carrots, no salt is needed.

That's it. Put the blender bucket in the fridge if it'll fit or decant contents to a bowl. Give it a couple of hours to chill nicely - longer doesn't hurt. To serve, just transfer it to bowls, and pour a little of the reserved coconut milk or cream on top to give a nice colour contrast.