Store-bought Thai curry pastes can vary widely in flavor and intensity from brand to brand (we tested this recipe with Maesri), so there are also lots of aromatics like onion, ginger, and garlic to ensure there’s plenty of flavor to balance the earthy lentils.
Ingredients
- 4 servings
- 2 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1”-piece peeled ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
- ¼ cup Thai green curry paste
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into ½" cubes
- ¾ cup brown or green lentils
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 Kg can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
- 4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach leaves
- ½ tsp. (or more) fish sauce
- Small handful cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving)
Preparation
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent and starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pan constantly, until paste is fragrant and slightly darkened and mixture starts to stick to pan, about 3 minutes.
- Stir sweet potato and lentils into onion mixture, then add broth and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook soup, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are cooked through and lentils are tender but not mushy, 20–25 minutes.
- Add coconut milk to soup; return to a simmer. Add spinach and fish sauce and cook just until spinach is wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste soup and season with more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
By Christina Chaey | Photo By Laura Murray, Food Styling By Susie Theodorou
