When I flipped through Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street cookbook weeks ago, his spicy red lentil stew immediately grabbed my attention. The stew is heavy on coconut flavor, which I love in my soups. I could feel my mouth water as I stared at the photo of the rich, creamy yellow broth.
The stew was influenced by Indian cuisine, Goan cuisine in particular, and it was delicious. I loved the creaminess of the red lentils and coconut as well as the blend of spices he used.
I have made the soup several times and modified the original recipe in several ways. One big change is that I used much less coconut milk: I used 3/4 cup instead of an entire 14-ounce can. Although full-fat coconut milk imparts great flavor and gives richness to a dish, I don’t want a weeknight dish to be too heavy. I also added some quinoa to make the red lentil soup more of a balanced meal. In addition, I changed the vegetables in the recipe, and altered the cooking process in the beginning. Finally, I doubled the amount of red pepper flakes in the recipe because I could barely detect any heat in the original recipe. Don’t worry, the heat should not be overwhelming here!
COOKING NOTES FOR THE RED LENTIL SOUP
Can you substitute any of the spices?
If the spices listed below are not easily accessible, I recommend using a mild yellow curry powder instead of the dried spices. Often times, yellow curry spice blends include those spices anyway. I would use at least a tablespoon of the yellow curry powder and add more if needed.
Can I use another grain?
Yes, but make sure to use a grain that cooks in roughly 30 minutes, such as white rice, bulgur wheat, or millet.
Other ways to eat the red lentil soup
I LOVE the leftovers of the red lentil soup. The soup will thicken the next day. I reheated leftover soup and poured it over cooked bulgur like a sauce. The bulgur tasted amazing with a side of baked salmon. You can swap the salmon for any protein you prefer, such as tofu, chickpeas, or chicken.
MORE RECIPES FEATURING COCONUT MILK
This recipe uses about 1/2 a can of coconut milk. Wondering how you can use the rest of it? Here are some suggestions:
- Red Curry Wonton Soup with Zucchini Noodles
- Coconut Rice with Hint of Lime
5 from 11 votes
PRINTPIN
Servings: 4
Author: Lisa Lin
Vegan Coconut Red Lentil Soup with Quinoa
Although the red lentil soup takes 50 minutes to make, the majority of it is inactive cooking time. You'll definitely want to eat the leftovers of this red lentil soup because they taste even better than the day before. The flavor of the spices continue to develop overnight. I also love adding crunchy bits to my soup, which is why I added toasted coconut, almonds, and fried shallots. Feel free to leave any of them out if you do not have them on hand. Recipe adapted from Christopher Kimball's Milk Street
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (virgin coconut oil is great too)
- 1 1/4 cups diced yellow onions
- 2 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 5 1/2 cups water, divided
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
Toppings
- unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
- sliced almonds, toasted
- fried shallots
- chili oil
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the onions from burning. Next, add the ginger, garlic, and carrots and stir for another minute. Add the salt, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, fennel, and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat the vegetables with the spices.
Add the red lentils, quinoa and 5 cups of water. Save the remaining 1/2 cup of water for later. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the water to boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the lentils and quinoa for 30 minutes, covered. You want this to be a low simmer, so you may want to transfer the pot to a smaller burner.
Uncover the pot and stir in the peas, remaining water, coconut milk, and lime juice. Turn off the heat and taste the soup. Adjust the seasonings, adding more salt if necessary.
Transfer the soup to bowls and top with toasted coconut flakes, sliced almonds, fried shallots, and chili oil, if desired.
Notes
I recommend rinsing the red lentils just before you add them to the pot. The lentils tend to clump up very easily. If you rinse them ahead, you will probably end up with a large block of red lentils, though they will separate during the cooking process.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 54.4g | Protein: 17.3g | Fat: 21.2g | Saturated Fat: 14.4g | Sodium: 1249mg | Fiber: 9.9g | Sugar: 3.6g
Did you make this recipe?Tag @hellolisalin or leave a star rating and comment on the blog!
Cuisine: Vegan
Category: Soup & Porridge
Hello! I’m Lisa Lin
Here, you’ll find well-tested Asian recipes, pantry guides, and recipes from my sassy mother, Mama Lin. Through my recipes and cooking videos, I hope to honor the food and traditions that surrounded my Chinese American upbringing.
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Paul says
Hi Lisa, this sounds great, I intend to try it soon. But I am thinking of using a light chicken stock in lieu of water & adding a bit of ground cumin & a few small red Serrano or Thai bird peppers for a bit more heat. Also some cilantro at the end. Whattya think? I haven’t seen chris’ recipe, but curious about his take on it. Love your idea of toasted almonds. Thanks!
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Lisa Lin says
Hi, Paul – all of your suggested modifications are great!! The original recipe didn’t use broth, which I was surprised about, but I think they opted for water and coconut milk because they wanted the soup to be a nice bright yellow color (and possibly to keep the recipe vegan). I love cooking with Thai chili peppers, and I usually use 3 for a little bit of heat. I don’t know what your heat tolerance is, but feel free to add more or less! Let me know how it all goes!
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The Flexitarians says
This looks absolutely delicious, especially with the almond! Will definitely try this recipe!
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Anthony Osude says
This recipe is delicious – can’t wait to try some of your others!
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Gabriela says
I tried this recipe today and was mind blown! I improvised a little since I didn’t have all the species so I used yellow curry paste instead of the species and bell pepper instead of carrots. The toasted almonds on top were absolutely amazing and added the perfect crunch to the soup. Also I used skimmed coconut milk and it was creamy enough for me. Everyone who loves soups should try this one, you won’t want to stop eating it, it’s that good!
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Lisa Lin says
Gabriela, thank you so much for trying the recipe and for providing your notes on the substitutions! I genuinely appreciate it!
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Jessica Slemmons says
Where does all of the sodium come from? I really want to try this but the sodium is really high. Is there a way to cut back on it?Reply
Lisa Lin says
I use a nutrition label generator, and I think the vegetable broth they have in their system has a lot of sodium. You can use low-sodium broth and hold off on the salt until the end.
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C Fetty says
I’m confused because there’s no vegetable broth listed in the recipe. There’s not even a spice blend that would contribute that kind of sodium.
Anyway, looking forward to giving this a try tonight! I will have to sub yellow curry for the individual spices, but I’m sure it’ll be great.
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Lisa Lin says
I use a tablespoon of kosher salt, which is were the sodium comes from. Feel free to use vegetable broth instead of water, if you like!
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Jessi says
I made this tonight with sriracha marinated tofu, crispy shallots and asparagus (no peas). It was delicious and super filling. My 17 year old son even loved it.Reply
Jessica says
So delicious!! Came together quickly and I really enjoyed using only water, instead of a broth or stock which I would typically do, the spices can add so much flavor. I didn’t have mustard or fennel or peas but added coriander, curry and a bunch of cilantro. Also added celery and mushroom in with the carrots and spinach in at the end with a full can of low fat coconut milk. So good thank you for this recipe! Oh ya roasted a head of broccoli and one russet potato for my toppings.Reply
Cindy says
So delicious! Made with chicken broth and added a breast of cooked diced chicken for my meat eaters. It didn’t last long. Will definitely be making this again. I didn’t have all the spices listed but made do with what I had and it was great. Very versatile recipe. Thanks!Reply
Bridget says
I am absolutely obsessed with this recipe. I meant to review it ages ago. The flavors are so deep, complex, and balanced, and yet the recipe is so simple! It’s always a crowd-pleaser. I have had this with almonds and another time with toasted pecans, and I must say that I prefer the buttery-ness of the pecans. I served this to an Indian friend (who loved it and said it reminded him of home) and he suggested tempering some coriander and cumin seeds at the end to top it off. I’ll be sure to try that next time! Thank you again, Lisa, for another outstanding recipe.Reply
Anne says
This soup is so flavorful and so,delicious. I followed the recipe as written and it is absolutely awesome. In fact, during the summer months I even enjoyed eating it cold the following day—it’s that good! I did have to use reduced fat coconut milk because I have impaired liver function and can’t metabolize fats, but even so, the soup still turned out fantastic! I’m putting together freezer meals for when I’m not feeling well, and this soup is definitely going to be on my menu selection.Reply
Wendy says
Making this soup now and it already looks delicious. Just wondering if I could substitute fresh lemon juice for the lime?
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Lisa Lin says
Hi Wendy, I think that would work well!
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