Golden Coconut Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp ground turmeric
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2-3 carrots
• 1/2 lb red or yellow lentils
• 4 cups water
• 13.5 oz can coconut milk
• 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/3 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 bunch cilantro
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice

Directions

1. Pour the olive oil into a large pot. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate or mince the ginger; a small-holed cheese grater works nicely for the ginger. Cook the onion, garlic, and ginger in the oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the onion has softened and turned translucent. While that’s happening, peel and slice the carrots.
2. Stir the turmeric and red pepper into the pot and cook for another minute. Add the carrots and cook for another minute, then stir in the lentils and water. Cover the pot, bring everything to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
3. While the soup simmers, toast the coconut flakes. Scatter them into a dry skillet and set it over medium-low heat. Stir the whole time; once about 50% of the flakes are golden brown, after 1-3 minutes, take them out of the hot skillet right away so they do not keep browning.
4. After 20 minutes, the lentils should be tender and starting to fall apart. Stir in the coconut milk. Blend with an immersion blender, or carefully blend the warm soup in small batches, until roughly half of the soup is puréed. If you want it fully smooth, blend all of it. Add salt in 1/2 tsp increments until the seasoning tastes right; you will likely end up around 1.5 tsp or 1/2 Tbsp of salt. Adjust the red pepper flakes too, if you like.
5. To serve, ladle about 1.5 cups of soup into a bowl. Top with 1/2 cup cooked rice, fresh cilantro leaves, and a sprinkle of the toasted coconut flakes.