Curried Coconut Chicken Soup with Lentils

Autumn is the perfect time for soups. Soul soothing and nourishing to the bone, soups are very popular with me lately. I'm making two to three types of soups a week and eating them daily. Most soups I find to be ridiculously easy to prepare. With cooked chicken and homemade stock, great chicken soup is a matter of tossing things in a pot and simmering it together for a few minutes. It's really no longer than what it takes to heat up a tin of soup, or even making some Ramen. In addition to being absolutely healthful soup is a great budget buster. Although nothing is as cheap as Ramen, this recipe is fast and nutritious. Homemade stock is great for you, coconut milk too, there's really no losing when it comes to this simple and delightful soup. Creamy, spicy, sweet and savory, its boldly scrumptious. Best yet, its Riley approved! (Finally a curry that he didn't complain about being stinky and gross!)

Coconut Curry Soup with Chicken and Lentils

For this recipe I used my first attempt at sprouted lentils. Sprouting is said to increase the amount of vitamins and enzymes in a food as well as making it easier to digest. I've never sprouted anything before and I have to say that sprouting seems to be no different than soaking. I've soaked a fair amount of beans and this sprouting process only seems different based on the length of soaking, and the amount of rinsing. I've soaked pinto beans for 3-4 days and that's about as long as this took. It may seem time consuming to baby some lentils for a few days but really it is just a matter of putting them on the counter and rinsing them now and then. Soaked lentils or even dry lentils will work just fine however it will take longer to simmer. (15-20 minutes) For this soup I used red curry paste. I really love it, its available at most grocery stores and it's a powerful punch of flavor. If you do not have it on hand you can substitute 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite curry powder blend.

1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1-2 cups chicken stock
1-2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup lentils measured dry, soaked (I used green)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
sea salt & pepper

Soak or sprout lentils to soften if desired. One hour of soaking reduces the simmer time by about half. Rinse and drain lentils. Place chicken stock, coconut milk, lentils, cardamom, garlic, salt, pepper and curry paste to the pot, stir to combine. (The curry paste might take a bit to combine.) Simmer until the lentils are tender. Add cooked chicken. Once the chicken is warm it is ready to eat! Serve with Green onion, cilantro, rice, potatoes or dare to be plain. It's perfect as-is.

Original Recipe: Nourishing Traditions, Coconut chicken soup
Similar to: Curried Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk

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The How and Why to Sprouting Lentils.