It may not look like much, but this is one of my proudest culinary creations.
Initially I was interested in making this recipe, but looked incomplete somehow. It seems to mainly rely on a little curry paste for flavor, and I’ve had bad luck with similar recipes in the past. And would five minutes really cook the sweet potato enough?? Probably not for my taste. But I liked the general premise of combining Thai red curry paste, sweet potato, chickpeas, and spinach.
Then I found this recipe. It calls for onions and a much longer cook time, both of which I felt would make for a better result. I followed it somewhat closely, using water and a low sodium vegetarian bouillon cube, spinach instead of kale, and omitting the farro (and therefore using less water). Still, as the soup cooked, it seemed a little bland and watery even though I doubled the curry paste. I’d have added coconut milk but didn’t have any on hand.
And then…
And then through Googling around I got the ideas to a) add a splash of low sodium soy sauce (this post recommends it as an alternative to the fish sauce used in many Thai recipes to add “saltiness and savouriness”), and b) dump in some almond butter à la this vegan Almond Butter Vegetable Curry recipe.
The addition of both ingredients made such a difference. The soy sauce added that saltiness I was craving, and the almond butter not only gave the soup its nuttiness, but its creaminess too. This soup tastes no different than dishes I’ve ordered at expensive Thai restaurants. Now it just needs some rice. And I’m proud.
I also roasted tomatoes and potatoes while making this soup (for later in the week) and even threw some cookies in the oven using this fancy Immaculate Baking Co. all natural dough. And I’ve cleaned the dishes already.
Food for the soul.