Coconut Vegetable Soup

Description
This is a great soup. It uses fried onion flakes, which Bergy first told me about. You can find it in Asian markets; sometimes they have fried garlic- I'm sure that would work well also.



Ingredients

 * 2 shallots, minced
 * 2 cloves garlic, minced
 * 1 tablespoon minced gingerroot
 * ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
 * 2 tablespoons peanut oil
 * 1 carrot, julienned
 * 1 medium zucchini, julienned
 * 1½ cups napa cabbage, shredded
 * 1 celery rib, finely sliced
 * 4 cups chicken stock
 * 6 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
 * 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed, pounded,and finely chopped
 * ½ teaspoon turmeric
 * salt (to taste)
 * 2½ cups fresh bean sprouts
 * fried red onion flakes (for garnish; optional)
 * lemon wedges (for garnish; optional)

Directions

 * 1) Heat oil in a saucepan; add shallots, garlic, ginger, and crushed red peppers and cook until it becomes aromatic.
 * 2) Add the carrots, zucchini, cabbage, and celery, stirring it up to coat veggies with spices.
 * 3) Add the stock, coconut milk, lemongrass and turmeric.
 * 4) Simmer soup, uncovered, on low heat, for 15–20 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
 * 5) To serve, place a small handful of bean sprouts in the bottom of each bowl.
 * 6) Top bean sprouts with soup, and garnish with onion flakes, and serve with a squeeze of lemon wedge.