Recipe: Nearly Instant Thai Coconut Corn Soup (using coconut milk and rice milk)

NEARLY INSTANT THAI COCONUT CORN SOUP

1 tablespoon light olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 to 5 scallions, thinly sliced and separated into white and green parts
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short narrow strips
2 cans (14 to 15 ounces each) light coconut mix
1 1/2 cups rice milk
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn
2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder
1/4 teaspoon Thai red curry paste, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (or garnish)

Heat the oil in a small soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions and the bell pepper. Saute over medium low heat until softened and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder and the green parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water before adding it to the soup.

Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for five minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.

Serve, passing around the cilantro for topping.

VARIATIONS:
For a cold variation, follow the first two paragraphs of directions, but don't bring to a rapid simmer after adding the coconut milk and rice milk. Also, you can use 4 to 5 ears of lightly cooked corn instead of frozen corn, rinsing the fresh corn under cool water and scraping off the kernels.

For another variation, you can use minced fresh chiles instead of the curry paste. For the cold soup, refrigerate until chilled.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Vegan Express by Nava Atlas