Coconut & lemongrass broth

A coconut and vegetable vegan soup that is easy to make with wonderfully fragrant flavours.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2-3 green chillies, stem removed if prefer not too hot
• thumb-size ginger, peeled and chopped
• 4 tbsp coconut oil or cooking oil
• 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
• small bunch of coriander
• few springs fresh mint
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
• 2 limes, juice separately
• 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder or 1/2 vegetable stock cube
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 lemongrass, smash
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
• 100g spinach 
• 100g rice noodles

Method:

Warm the coconut oil in a small pan over a low heat until melted.

Put the ginger, garlic, spring onions, almost all of the coriander and mint and melted coconut oil into the food processor. Blend for 30 seconds or until you have a smooth deep green paste.

Put a deep medium-sized pan over a medium heat and add the herb and spice paste stirring it for a minute while it warms. Stir in the turmeric, coconut milk, juice of one lime, vegetable stock and soy sauce.

Fill one and the half coconut milk tins with hot water and add it to the pan. Put in the lemongrass. Bring it to boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Add butternut squash.

Put the noodles into a heatproof bowl and pour just enough of the boiling water from the kettle to cover them.

Once the squash is cooked through, add the greens to the broth and simmer. Check the seasoning, adding honey if it is needed to add some sweetness and more lime and salt as needed.

Drain the noodles and divide between 4 deep soup bowls. Ladle over the soup and vegetables, adding a generous squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with the remaining coriander and mint leaves, if you like.