spicy coconut carrot soup with fried shallots

Rabbit food.

Now that we have officially entered the “spring zone”, the Internet is going to be pulling up fresh vegetables and produce like a rabbit out of a magician’s hat. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for rabbit food. A girl has to keep her figure, yo.

But there are some days when I would rather pound dirt then eat a piece of lettuce. Or eat one more kale chip, or chomp on a broccoli floret. And all I really want is a slice of gooey, cheesy pizza or a big o’l juicy burger. So what’s a girl to do?

Enter this spicy coconut carrot soup with fried shallots.

I realize that when I mentioned the words “rabbit” and “food” together, you might have been thinking: “Lauren, you’re off your rocker! This soup is totally made of rabbit food!” I would completely agree with you. But what if I told you that even a die-hard carnivore could get behind?”

What I love about this soup is the thai take on it with the coconut and fresh ginger. In addition to the red pepper flakes to spice things up, I added some fried shallots on top! Can I get a what-what?! So, if you ask me, is this really rabbit food? Technically, yes, because it has a whole ‘pounder’ of carrots blended up in the soup.

But I think the question you should be asking, “does it taste like rabbit food?”

The answer? You’ll have to make it to find out.

Now, where did I leave my magic hat?

Print Recipe

Spicy Coconut Carrot Soup with Fried Shallots

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

for the soup:
3 pieces bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound carrots, chopped
1 large apple, peeled, sliced, core removed
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 13-oz can light coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
Scallions, sliced, garnished
salt and pepper to taste

for the fried shallots:
1/4 cup canola oil
4 large shallots, sliced thinly

Directions:

for the soup:
In a large Dutch oven preheated to medium-high heat, add olive oil and bacon. Cook bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon, place on a plate, set aside. In the same Dutch oven, add carrots, apple, onion, red pepper flakes, garlic cloves, ginger, and s&p. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the coconut milk, stock, and 1 cup water to the Dutch oven. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Take an immersion blender and puree the soup. Add bacon and stir. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fried shallots and scallions.

for the fried shallots:
Add canola oil to a skillet. Bring skillet to a medium-high heat and fry the shallots. You may want to fry in batches. It should only take about 2 to 3 minutes. Once fried, place shallots on a plate lined with a paper towel.

recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

All images and text ©Lauren Grier for The Curious Plate