Spicy Thai-style soup recipe

Thai food is all about balance: spicy, sweet, salty and sour. This quick and easy meal combines Thai spicing and flavours with healthy stir-fried vegetables for an impressive-looking but oh-so-easy soup. You can add any vegetables you like, so long as you cook the harder ones for longer. It's also especially good with potatoes, either simmered in the soup until soft or use up left-over potatoes and just heat them through in the soup at the very end.

Ingredients

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 2tsp peanut (groundnut) oil (optional)
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1tsp ground coriander
• ½tsp turmeric
• 2 carrots
• 1 head broccoli
• 1tsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 red pepper
• 10 medium mushrooms
• 500ml hot stock
• 2 limes
• 500ml coconut milk
• 150g frozen peas
• Large handful fresh coriander

Method

1. Peel, chop and fry the onion in the olive oil and peanut oil (if using) over a medium heat until soft and translucent.
2. Peel and mince the garlic. Turn the heat down slightly and add the garlic to the pan. Cook for 2mins.
3. Add the chilli powder, turmeric and ground coriander.
4. Peel and thinly slice the carrots, and chop the brocolli into small pieces. Stir-fry for 2-3mins. Add sugar and salt to the pan.
5. De-seed the pepper and slice it thinly. Peel and slice the mushrooms. Add peppers and mushrooms to the pan. Stir-fry for 2mins.
6. Add stock and coconut milk, and the juice of 1 lime. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5mins.
7. Add the peas, and fresh coriander. Heat until the peas are hot through, then serve with extra chopped coriander and lime wedges.