my coconut curry soup

a friend recently asked for a curry recipe, which made me realize i have never posted mine. shame on me. after making it frequently for the last five years, i guess i haven't stopped long enough to share. here it is (complete with borrowed picture, because i didn't have time to take my own)...

coconut curry soup

1 yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, pressed OR  1 T minced garlic OR 3-4 frozen garlic cubes

sauté onion and garlic in 2 T cold-pressed canola oil or peanut oil, with 1 t sesame seed oil. then add:

1 ½ T curry powder (big ol' heap in your palm)2 t ground coriander2 t ground ginger½ t basil

continue to sauté. then add:

2 cans coconut milk (or two boxes coconut cream)
about 4 C chicken stock (less if using coconut milk...coconut cream is thicker. also, use less if you want a thicker sauce and not a soup) 3-5 carrots, shredded (or finely sliced)½ bag of haricots vertes (small green beans, not cut or frenched)salt and pepper to taste

bring to simmer for 7-10 minutes, until beans are just cooked. then add:

1 bunch cilantro, minced
2 limes, juiced (easiest to do with a citrus reamer)
4-7 green onions, sliced

stir in and serve with rice or rice noodles and chopped peanuts, if desired.  **if you want to make this in the crockpot, reduce canola/peanut oil, but keep sesame oil. add everything to the crockpot except carrots, and beans, which you will put in during the last hour.

two other notes...

1. you can use a lemongrass stalk, and put it in at the same time as all the liquid. i never have it on hand, and between the coriander, fresh cilantro, and limes, i don't think the dish needs it.

2. i like the frozen haricot vertes from trader joe's or whole foods best. they taste the most like garden fresh green beans. you can use fresh green beans, if they are in season. normal, grocery store frozen green beans are not high on my list of favorites. in a pinch, however, the frenched green beans (like what you would use for green bean casserole) would be your best alternative.