Red Lentil & Coconut Soup

Entirely from the cupboard. If you have an onion and a tin of tomatoes, you are already most of the way there.

Ingredients

250 g red lentils · 1 onion · 3 garlic cloves · 1 tbsp grated ginger · 1 tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp ground coriander · 1 tin chopped tomatoes · 1 tin coconut milk · 800 ml stock · 1 tbsp oil · salt · a lemon

Method

Soften the chopped onion in oil over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and the ground spices and stir for a minute until they smell warm rather than raw.

Tip in the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed. Red lentils go mushy on purpose — that is the texture you want.

Season properly and finish with a good squeeze of lemon. Without the acid it tastes flat, and it is easy to add one more spoon of salt than you think you need.