Coconut Curry Soup

This recipe is taken from the cookbook "Curry & Kimchi" by Unmi Abkin & Roger Taylor.  More many years, they owned a local Easthampton restaurant,  Coco & The Cellar Bar.  Unmi knows how to layer flavors in a way that brings food to a whole other level.

It can time to make this recipe, as there are a lot of ingredients & a lot of prepping, but it's so worth it.  I've simplified things a little, so that this can be prepared with ingredients that are easy to find.

If you love this recipe & want others like it, I highly recommend that you buy the cookbook.

Serves 4 people and takes about an hour to prepare.

Ingredients:
-5 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 TBS chopped ginger
-2 shallots, chopped
-1/4c chopped onion
-2 tsp neutral cooking oil (I use avocado oil)
-2TBS coconut oil
-2 tsp red Thai curry paste
-1 TBS gochujang

-2 TBS vadouvan curry powder
Note: if you can't find this, use an additional clove of garlic, 1/2 clove of shallot & 1 tsp chopped ginger; 1tsp  fennel powder, 1 TBS cumin, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp ground cloves  OR even whatever of these you have on hand

-1/2c canned whole tomatoes -- can puree these in small food processor
-2 13.5 oz cans coconut milk
-2 1/2 c coconut water without pulp
-2 TBS honey
-1 TBS tamari
-pinch of cinnamon

Steps:
1) Combine garlic, ginger, shallots, onion & neutral oil in small food processor until they form a paste-like substance
2) Heat coconut oil in large pot over medium-high heat
3) When oil starts to shimmer, add garlic/shallot/ginger/onion paste & stir until light golden brown (5-10 minutes)
4)Add red Thai curry paste, gochujang, vadouvan curry powder or substitute spices, and tomatoes.
5) Simmer ingredients, stirring and breaking up tomatoes until they become jamlike (about 5 minutes)
6) Add coconut milk, coconut water, honey, tamari & bring to just a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes
7) Strain out the little bits of onions, shallots & ginger
8) Add a very small pinch of cinnamon

Enjoy the medley of flavors!