Coconut-Ginger Soup With Greens
Description: If you're under the weather and need a hug in food form, fast — or just dinner for a weeknight — this cozy, warming one-pot soup is ideal. Creamy and satisfying from the coconut milk, it is full of bold ingredients like ginger, garlic and turmeric. It happens to be vegan, and flexible: The greens can be swapped with whatever you have on hand; rice noodles can jump in instead of white rice; tofu or red chiles fit right in. This soup thickens as it sits, so be sure to reheat it with a splash of water and stir in fresh greens, if you’ve got any to spare.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
- 4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons finely grated unpeeled ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- ½ cup long-grain white rice
- 1 quart (4 cups) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat or light coconut milk
- 5 packed cups baby spinach or roughly chopped, destemmed chard or kale
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, gently torn
- 1 lime, halved
- Crushed red pepper (optional), for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high until melted. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger, and season with salt. Stir occasionally until the scallions soften, about 1 ½ minutes. Stir in the turmeric and a few grinds of pepper.
- Add the rice, stirring to coat for about 1 minute. Pour in the broth, coconut milk and 2 cups of water, and scrape any spices from the bottom of the pot.
- Raise the heat to bring the liquid to just under a boil, with bubbles starting to break across the surface, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer with small bubbles actively breaking across the surface. Let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom.
- Stir in the greens and cook until the greens and rice are tender, about 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the soy sauce and most of the cilantro and squeeze in the juice of half the lime. Taste and add more lime or salt as needed.
- Garnish with the remaining cilantro, a few grinds of black pepper and crushed red pepper, if using, and serve.