Recipe: Southeast Asian Vegetable Soup (Ken Hom)

SOUTHEAST ASIAN VEGETABLE SOUP (KEN HOM)

"I have savored the fragrance and taste of curry ever since I was a small child. It was quite a surprise to me when I discovered that yellow curry is based on Indian and not Chinese inventiveness. Here is a vegetable soup which is raised by its seasonings above the ordinary into some thing rather special; it is the curry which dominates (without suffocating) the other flavors."

1/4 pound carrots
1/4 pound zucchini
1/4 pound potatoes
1/4 pound Chinese long beans runner beans or haricot vert, trimmed
1/4 pound Chinese cabbage
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass
2 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons curry paste
3 3/4 cups lowfat chicken broth or vegetable stock
2 cups coconut milk, light
1 tablespoon salt

Peel and cut the carrots into 1-inch rounds. Slice the zucchini into rounds 1/4 inch thick, or roll-cut them (page 42). Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Trim and cut the beans into 3-inch pieces. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch chunks.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan until hot. Add the garlic, lemon grass, and onions and cook for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the tumeric and curry paste and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the vegetables, stock, coconut milk and salt. Simmer for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. Serve at once.

Serves 4
From: Asian Vegetarian Feast by Ken Hom
Adapted from source: Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee