Thai-spiced pea and coconut soup

Warm up or cool down with this blissful bowl

By Samuel Goldsmith | Feb 20, 2025

Comfort food with a Thai twist – this soup is a mainstay on our weeknight menus. The cool zest of the coriander, blended with the warming green curry paste makes it a soup with zing.

Perfect all year round, this soup recipe is as brilliant chilled as it is warmed up.

Yields: 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stick, tough outer leaves removed, finely sliced
Large handful of coriander (cilantro), leaves and stalks separated, both chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed or finely grated (shredded)
2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (vegetarian or vegan, if necessary)
Zest and juice of 1 lime
500ml (17fl oz) vegetable or chicken stock (gluten-free, if necessary)
1 × 400-ml (14fl-oz) tin full-fat coconut milk, shaken to combine
500g (1lb 2oz) frozen peas
1 red chilli, sliced (deseeded if you prefer it milder)
Handful of unsalted peanuts, chopped

Directions

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and lemongrass and fry for 4–5 minutes or until the onion has softened and the lemongrass smells fragrant.

Step 2

. Stir in the coriander stalks and garlic, then cook for 1 minute. Add the curry paste and lime zest and cook for a further 1 minute, stirring until everything is coated in the paste.

Step 3

Pour in the lime juice, stock and all but a couple of tablespoons of the coconut milk, then bring to a simmer.

Step 4

Add the frozen peas, bring everything back to a simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes or until the peas are warmed through and tender.

Step 5

Blitz the soup either in a blender or using a handheld stick (immersion) blender until smooth. Leave to cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge until cold.

Step 6

Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle over a little coconut milk, then scatter over the coriander leaves, red chilli slices and chopped peanuts.

Cook’s tip

You can also make this meaty by adding some shredded cooked chicken when you add the peas.

Samuel’s latest book, The Frozen Peas Cookbook, is bursting with easy weeknight dishes based off a humble bag of frozen peas. They’re easy, save you time, money and energy and offer a good, honest dose of veggies.