Thai Coconut Chickpea & Vegetable Soup with Quinoa

This soup is the ultimate winter warmer. I regularly make coconut based soups and throw in whatever veggies I have on hand at the time. The garnishes make the soup extra special so don't skip out on them!

This time for some reason I only had yellow vegetables and with the turmeric base it really is an all round yellow soup, so that's what I'll call it.

It is extremely hearty and unintentionally vegan like a lot of my recipes so a win-win if you're on a health kick!

I like to batch-cook, so this recipe makes a good couple of quarts full. Feel free to halve the quantities.

Scarlett's portion was the same just without the sambal and mustard seed oil. She absolutely loved it the first day, not so much the second day #toddlers

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. turmeric

• 1 tbsp. cumin

• 1 small onion

• 2 tablespoons lemongrass (fresh or paste)

• 1 inch piece fresh ginger - minced

• 1 large garlic clove - minced

• 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk

• 1 can chickpeas - drained

• 1 yellow squash

• 2 yellow peppers

• 1 cup quinoa

• Fresh cilantro

• Fresh lime wedges for serving

• 1 scallion sliced

For the mustard oil:

• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds

• 1 tbsp. turmeric

• 1/4 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Finely dice the onion and garlic and sweat down in a big saucepan on a medium heat. Once translucent, add the turmeric and cumin until lightly toasted.

2. Add the quinoa and cook for 1 minute before adding both cans of coconut milk.

3. Bring to a boil before adding your vegetables, I cut them in about 1 inch pieces.

4. Cover the pot with a lid and turn on low, stirring occasionally. Cook until the quinoa is light and fluffy, then add the chickpeas and a cup of boiling water.

5. At this point I would add the lemongrass and ginger.

6. Season with salt and pepper and cover again to simmer for another 10 minutes or so until everything comes together and is softened.

7. In the meantime, make the mustard oil by combining all the mustard seeds and oil in a pan and slowly cooking until the seeds pop. Remove from heat and add the turmeric and salt. Let cool.

8. Serve the soup with a generous handful of fresh cilantro, a pinch of scallions, a squeeze of fresh lime and sambal oelek for a delicious chili-garlic kick