Red Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk and Chilli
·Chop and sauté the onion
Finely chop the onion. Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pot, and once it's really hot, add the onion and sauté until golden.
Blanch the lentils
Meanwhile, put 3/4 of the bag of red lentils into another pot. Pour over boiling water and stir. Drain the water and repeat twice more (this blanches the lentils and gets rid of their faint smell).
Add the water
Tip the lentils into the pot with the sautéed onion and pour in a mugful of hot water.
Simmer
Add the coconut milk and season with red curry paste. Salt to taste, and after about 5 minutes of simmering, pour in another mugful of hot water. Simmer for a further 10–15 minutes until done – the lentils should be soft.
Season to taste
Check whether you've added enough salt and red curry paste, and adjust if needed.