The Circus Gardener's Kitchen

seasonal vegetarian recipes with a side helping of food politics

chilled asparagus, coconut and lemongrass soup


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This recipe for chilled asparagus, coconut and lemongrass soupis the latest in a monthly series of recipes I have created in partnership with Suma. In each recipe, I use products from Suma’s extensive range of organic and ethically sourced products, and the recipes appear both here on my blog and on the Suma website.


The wonderful but all-too-brief British asparagus season is upon us. This simple chilled soup recipe celebrates this succulent vegetable by pairing it with a delicate combination of lemongrass and coconut. The end result is a delicious, creamy and beautifully flavoured soup.

chilled asparagus, coconut and lemongrass soup

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
375 g asparagus stalks
1 lemongrass stalk
400 g can organic coconut milk
600 g vegetable stock
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

Method

1. Press on the lemongrass stalk with a rolling pin or the back of a heavy bladed knife until it cracks along the stem.

2. Remove the woody stem of each asparagus spear by holding the asparagus spear in one hand about two thirds of the way down from the delicate tip. In the other hand hold it lower down, near the base. Gently bring your hands towards each other, bending the asparagus spear until it snaps. The woody part can be put in your compost.

3. Pour the olive oil into a large pan and set over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and celery and cook, stirring regularly for five minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the asparagus, the lemongrass stalk and the sea salt, then add the coconut milk and the vegetable stock.

4. Bring the contents of the ban to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every so often. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for to room temperature. Remove the lemongrass stalk. Use a food processor or stick blender to blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy.

5. Store the soup in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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Categories: dairy free, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian

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9 replies

  1. Looks divine. I’ll have to wait for our next asparagus season.

    • Thank you Peggy. Sorry you have such a long wait! The asparagus season here in the UK is so fleeting, which of course makes it such a treat. Steve x

  2. Am so fond of asparagus the stalks seem to get steamed and devoured as soon as they arrive home !! But I love coconut and grow my own lemongrass – this recipe will be waiting for our first spring asparagus three months or so away . . . looks very elegant !!!

  3. Thank you Eha. How wonderful that you have your own lemongrass. The principle flavours here work so well together. Steve x

  4. What a refreshing soup for summer! I am just imaging how lovely the lemongrass must be in it 🙂

  5. I don’t normally like chilled soup but this looks so good!

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