A dinner that’s warming & healthy? Chilli, coconut and peppercorn broth * is just the ticket.
Serves: 4
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- A thumb of ginger (about 50g), peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 – 2 red chillies, destemmed
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 small bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks
- A few sprigs of mint
- 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
- 15 green peppercorns fresh or brined
- 2 x 400ml tins of coconut milk
- 2 limes
- 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder or 1/2 a vegetable stock cube
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- A stalk of lemon grass
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 100g spinach or winter greens
- 100g brown rice noodles
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or honey
Method
1. Gently melt the coconut oil. Put the ginger, garlic, chillies into your food processor with the spring onions and almost all of the coriander and mint leaves. Add the coconut oil, then blitz for approx 30 seconds until you have a smooth, deep-green paste. Scrape into a bowl.
2. Put a kettle on to boil. Place a deep, medium-size pan over a moderate heat and add the paste, stirring it while it warms. Stir in the tumeric, peppercorns, coconut milk, the juice of one lime, the vegetable stock powder & the soy sauce. Fill the coconut milk tins with a tin and a half of hot water from the kettle and add to the pan. Using a rolling pin, smash the lemon grab so it splinters but remains together, then tuck it into the pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and leave to simmer gently.
3. Finely slice the sweet potato & add to the pan.
4. Place the noodles into a heatproof bowl & pour enough boiling water to cover them.
5. Once the sweet potato is cooked through, add the greens to the soup. Add the coconut sugar if it needs some sweetness & as much lime & salt as needed.
6. Drain the noddles, then divide them between four deep soup bowls. Ladle over the soup and vegetables, adding a generous squeeze of lime juice and if you like a few extra coriander & mint leaves.
* Anna Jones : The Sunday Times Magazine 3rd January 2016
