Spring Pea Soup with Coconut Milk
Subtly but richly flavored with hints of ginger, lime and coconut, Spring Pea Soup helps welcome one of the season’s first vegetables.
As spring returns, full of gentle promise, it is a joy to watch as new life returns. The budding trees, the bobbing daffodils, the gentle rains…
Spring flowers
The return of CSA boxes. Overflowing with snap peas. And pea shoots. And more peas…
Now it’s often said that one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. And after a winter of stored, imported or greenhouse vegetables, who would argue with a giant bag of snap peas.
A hint of lime
So, I’m stopping right now, no whining here! And actually some serious delight—I just found a great pea soup recipe on Northwest Edible Life. Originally made with shelled peas, it adapted perfectly to snow peas and snap peas—and I’m pretty sure will be great when the pea shoots arrive.
Serve it with this beautiful Ukrainian Babka Bread to really rock spring!
Spring soup!
For a simple mix of ingredients, the Spring Pea Soup is remarkably flavorful. In a run of blogger bad luck, I’ve been rejecting about ¾ of the recipes I’ve tried lately. So, to find one that was delicious AND met a long-standing need, completely made my day!
Or garnish with sour cream and cilantro
It’s even doable vegan!
Happy spring!
Happy spring!
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves or a couple fresh garlic scaoes, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (or 2 tsp anchovy paste or 2 t soy sauce or salt)--more to taste.
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped, a few pieces reserved for garnish
- 4 c snow peas or sugar snap peas or chopped pea shoots, strings removed
- Juice of 1 medium lime
- Heat oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic and ginger to the coconut oil. Cook until onion is tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add broth, fish sauce or substitute, and coconut milk to the onion mixture. Bring to a simmer.
- Add snap pears and cilantro, then cook until tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and puree with an immersion blender until mostly smooth. Mix in lime juice.
- Garnish if desired with reserved cilantro, lime slices or garnish of your choice.
- Enjoy!
- The more pea strings you remove the better. They tend to get wrapped around the immersion blender blade otherwise (ask me how I know 🙂 )
What a delightful combination of flavors! Perfect for springtime, when you still need a little heat to warm you up in the evenings!
Thanks David. Or in my case, where it has snowed for the second time this week (and been 70), when I need a little heat all day 😉
What a great twist on pea soup! The lime and coconut with peas is unexpected but sounds so good!! Enjoy the long awaited spring weather!
Interestingly, sometimes lime and coconut can be really “in your face” and then blend very nicely in here.
What a delicious looking soup Inger, I love that it has a Asian touch…so tasty.
Thanks for sharing the recipe…have a wonderful week!
I am often not fond of green pureed soups, thinking them rather bland, but the added flavor notes made all the difference in this one!
An Asian flavored pea soup, different and delicious sounding…I’ve pinned twice for Asian food and under soups as well.
I think it’s worth it Karen. I squirreled away the last bowl in the freezer for myself (shhh) and can’t wait until the CSA season starts!