Jan 7
2010

Creamy Coconut Curry Wild Rice Soup, aka “Sunshine Soup”

in Fruits & Vegetables, Main Course, Printables, Recipes by Type, Rice & Noodles, Soup & Stew

A lone sweet potato sat on my counter looking forlorn and unloved.  It made me feel guilty every time I looked at it.  I needed to use it . . . I wanted to use it, but was feeling wholly uninspired.

Forlorn Sweet Potato

Then a happenstance trip to the grocery store changed the fate of the sweet potato.  As I was wandering down the aisle that contained all the Asian ingredients I noticed that my favorite brand of coconut milk was on sale (Chaokoh), and so I added several cans to my grocery cart, along with a container of my favorite red curry paste (Mae Ploy) because I had just finished up the one I had at home.

Red Curry Paste and Coconut Milk

As I drove home I remembered the sweet potato, and then a thought occurred to me—I had been meaning to try a soup recipe from the cookbook Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson, that happened to call for coconut milk, red curry paste, and yep, you guessed it, sweet potato!  Dinner was quick and easy to make—done and on the table in about an hour.  Squirrel was especially delighted with the color, exclaiming, “Ooooh, beautiful!  It’s sunshine!”, when she came to sit at the table.  She was right, the soup is beautiful!  It is bright yellow, just like a burst of sunshine—a wonderful way to end the day on a cold and dreary winter’s day.  The soup tastes even better than it looks.  Creamy and flavorful, with just a hint of spice from the curry paste.  Wild rice gives great texture to the soup and little sweet potato “croutons” sprinkled on top add some extra sweetness and texture.

Sunshine Soup

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Coconut Curry Wild Rice Soup, aka “Sunshine Soup”

Adapted from Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson

Makes 5 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
4 cups water
1 yellow-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add the curry paste, garlic, and onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.  As everything sautes, make sure to mix well so that the curry paste is mixed evenly.

2. Add the wild rice and 3 cups of the water and stir.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and then lower the heat to medium-low.  Cover the pot and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the wild rice is tender.

3. While the soup is cooking heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add the diced sweet potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of the sea salt.  Toss the sweet potatoes to coat them in the olive oil.  Cook for several minutes until they start to brown on the bottom, then toss.  Toss every couple of minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.  If needed at any point during cooking, add a bit more oil.  When the sweet potatoes are finished set them aside.

4. When the wild rice is tender, add the turmeric, sugar, soy sauce, coconut milk, and remaining teaspoon of sea salt.  Stir, return to a simmer, and then cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lime juice and additional salt if needed.  Serve topped with a scoop of sweet potatoes.

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I just have to share a fabulous calendar I just printed off a couple of days ago.  It is designed by the talented Cameron Blazer who writes Cottage Industrialist and is available to download for free here.  Why do I love it so much?  Not only is it gorgeous, but it lists out some of the produce that is in season during each month of 2010.  What a fantastic idea!

2010 Fresh Produce Calendar

We could all benefit from eating more of what’s in season.  January lists carrots, turnips, kale, leeks, brussels sprouts, and collards.  How many of those have you had this month?  Go download your own calendar and thank Cameron for such a wonderful gift!

Coming Next: Washoku Warriors celebrate the New Year!

{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }

French Cooking for Dummies January 7, 2010 at 2:58 pm

Cool calendar! And I love the sound of this soup… Coconut milk and curry together are always a winner :-)

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Paula - bell'alimento January 7, 2010 at 3:36 pm

Sunshine Soup sounds perfect! & what a great idea for a calendar. I’m popping over there next ; )

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Tokyo Terrace January 7, 2010 at 3:38 pm

This looks delicious! I am a little obsessed with soup lately… I feel like I could eat soup every day for lunch and dinner and still not get enough. It’s like getting a really big hug form someone wearing a soft, cozy sweater…

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Debi (Table Talk) January 7, 2010 at 5:53 pm

I saw this recipe in her book; glad to hear it was popular at your house. I actually made her Giant Chipotle White Beans recipe tonight. Give them a try if you haven’t…mixed with kale, feta, and a smoky tomato sauce…mmm

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Marc @ NoRecipes January 7, 2010 at 6:26 pm

Thanks for sending over some california sunshine. It can’t possibly be as cold and dreary there as it is here;-) This looks like the perfect soup to shake the chills.

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Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction January 7, 2010 at 7:44 pm

Sounds like a wonderful soup, and I love the color! It does look like sunshine. Love the calendar, too… Very cute!

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Meg T January 7, 2010 at 8:25 pm

I wish I could have this soup magically appear before me right this second. It looks so good. I am definitely going to give this one a try. Thanks for the calendar heads up. That is one fun calendar.

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Sarah, Maison Cupcake January 8, 2010 at 12:28 am

This soup looks an incredible colour. I sometimes make Thai curries with sweet potato and they work really well. That calendar is gorgeous!

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Lauren January 8, 2010 at 6:44 am

I absolutely love Heidi’s soup, and yours looks equally as delicious!

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paule January 8, 2010 at 7:14 am

That soup sounds so good. it is true that one of winter’s “ups” is the way soup feels soooo gooood at night. i will defenetly try your recipe soon.

And ps: i never ended up having the time to make the german cookies with mapple sirup. BUT my mom surprised me with a nice delicious batch of them, made with molases, when we came over for christmas’ eve. (i always foward her recipe that i find inspiring) they were great, and i still have some here in a pretty tin box, that i brought home. Thanks again for sharing.

xx

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Claudia T January 10, 2010 at 6:14 pm

Chaokoh is DEFINITELY the best canned coconut milk, hands down.

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Heather U January 12, 2010 at 4:58 am

OMG that looks amazing! I may just have to drag my 2 year old with me to the grocery store today and pick up the ingredients to make this :). That last picture is making me hungry already… and it is only 8am! Cheers, Heather (AKA bringingupboys)

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heide m January 16, 2010 at 6:18 pm

That soup looks so good and easy to make.

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Dreamy Diva January 19, 2010 at 10:17 am

Love the curry coconut recipe! Thanks for sharing.

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Cass September 27, 2010 at 1:32 pm

This looks fantastic. A question though… The ingredients list 4 cups of water but the instructions state to add 3 cups of water to the rice. What about the extra cup of water? I keep re-reading this and can’t find it … might just be me!

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Cait November 29, 2010 at 2:43 pm

I’m also curious about the last cup of water…I’m in the process of making this soup right now so I might just go ahead and add it in for now. So far it smells delicious though!

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mayur patel March 30, 2012 at 5:18 am

Nice collection i like this really thnxxxx for sharing…..))

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Laura November 15, 2015 at 1:12 pm

Ho there! In the ingredients list it says 4C water but in the instructions it just says to add 3.. I added 4 but hopefully it’s not too watered down! smells amazing so far :)

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