This chilled soup blends the sweet flavors from an early summer garden: peas, cilantro, basil, scallions, and spinach. It’s a beautiful green soup, rich but light, full-flavored but not heavy-handed, and with a great synergy where no one ingredient dominates. Of course, if it actually is early summer when you make this soup and you have sweet peas in your garden, use fresh. It’s also lovely served warm.
Don’t be daunted by all the stemming, chopping, toasting, and grinding required; you’ll have time to keep prepping during cooking. If using an immersion blender to purée the soup, for the smoothest consistency, chop the chard or spinach into fairly small pieces.
This soup will stay fresh for a few days in the fridge, so it can be made ahead of time.
Serves 4 to 8
Preparation time: 60 minutes (includes 15 minutes cooling time before puréeing)
Chilling time: at least 3 hours
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds*
2½ teaspoons curry powder
1½ tablespoons raw white jasmine or basmati rice
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 cup water
1 quart light vegetable stock**
1 pound frozen green peas (about 3 cups)
4 cups chopped spinach or green chard, large stems removed
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
½ cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
*Use about the same amount of preground coriander. Although ground spices are denser than whole seeds, preground spices are less flavorful.
**An easy, homemade stock made from vegetable scraps of onions, carrots, scallion tops, parsley, and cilantro stems simmered in a quart of water for about 30 minutes is a light stock that’s perfect for this soup. If you use a packaged stock, dilute it so its flavor won’t overpower the delicate and fresh flavor of the soup: use half stock, half water.
In a large soup pot on medium heat, warm the oil for a minute or two. Add the onions and salt and sauté for about 6 minutes until the onions become translucent. While the onions cook, toast the coriander seeds lightly in a small skillet on low heat for about a minute, shaking the skillet once or twice so the spices don’t burn. Grind the coriander and stir it into the onions along with the curry powder, rice, and scallions.
Add the water and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the peas. When the stock returns to a simmer, cook the peas for a minute or two until just tender. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the spinach or chard, coconut milk, cilantro, and basil.
Cool for about 5 minutes. If you have an immersion blender, you can purée the soup at this point. If you use a container blender, to avoid “eruptions,” cool the soup for 15 to 20 minutes before puréeing. Purée until very smooth. Season with salt to taste.
The soup is good warm, but we prefer it cold. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 3 hours or overnight until the soup is thoroughly chilled.
Pour into soup cups or bowls and garnish with fresh basil or cilantro leaves.
A nasturtium floating on top is gorgeous against the green soup. This is a perfect starter for a summer meal or component of an Indian, Southeast Asian, or Caribbean dinner. Pack it up in a thermos for a picnic or lunch.