Curried Pea Soup with Tempeh Croutons


March 27, 2014

This curried pea soup with tempeh croutons is absolutely delicious and so easy. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free. This is exotic comfort food.

This curried pea soup with tempeh croutons is absolutely delicious and so easy. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free. This is exotic comfort food.

I got this incredible curried pea soup from the Extraordinary Vegan cookbook by Alan Roettinger.

Alan says of this soup, “Lettuce has been grilled, braised, and made into soup in French cooking for a long time. Although the traditional version of lettuce soup includes quite a bit of cream, I’ve discovered that the texture achieved by pureed peas alone provides more than enough creaminess without adding any dairy products.” I really love the coconut tempeh croutons he serves with the soup.

Alan is a writer, food designer, blogger, and public speaker. He has served clients as a private chef in the United States, Europe, and Australia for over 25 years. Raised in Mexico City, he acquired a taste for exotic food early on and soon developed a passion for flavor and beauty that drives his diverse, creative culinary style.

Alan is on a mission to empower people to make smart food choices, and move beyond ordinary flavors, and he has a wealth of wisdom to share in his cookbooks – Omega-3 Cuisine, Speed Vegan, Paleo Vegan, and Extraordinary Vegan. His recipes are a wonderful balance of health and pleasure that are sophisticated yet accessible.

I have been cooking my way through Extraordinary Vegan, which contains more than 100 healthy plant based recipes. Alan’s exotic food tickles the senses and challenge your imagination. With dishes inspired from a variety of cultures, he infuses otherwise ordinary vegan dishes with exotic and innovative twists that are easy to pull off at home.

Alan shares his kitchen pantry staples, and then moves onto his “extraordinary fundamentals” such as basic quinoa, garlic oil, aged balsamic vinaigrette, roasted garlic, roasted hazelnuts, roasted peppers, preserved lemons, kombu dashi, cashew cream, and chocolate ganache.

I also enjoyed the Tarahumara Running Food, High-Protein Assene Bread, Fig Jam with Port, Raw Beet Wraps, Spicy Minted Slaw, Roasted Cauliflower and Beet Salad, Rajma Dal Bourguignn, Penne All’arabbiata, Peach Ice Cream with Amaretto, and Pears in Pomegranate Juice. There are also some awesome superfood smoothies in the book.

I have a weakness for French pea soup, and fell in love with Alan’s simple spin.

If you want some really interesting vegan recipes that will rise above the crowd, this book rocks!

Be bold and give this curried pea soup a go. You will not be sorry.

 

Curried Pea Soup with Tempeh Croutons

This curried pea soup with tempeh croutons is absolutely delicious and so easy. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free. This is exotic comfort food. 

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Author Tess Masters

Ingredients

soup:

tempeh croutons:

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) virgin coconut oil, plus more as needed
  • 1 (8oz/227g) pack tempeh, cut into thin slices

Instructions

  1. To make the soup, heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the lettuce and saute for just a minute until it wilts. Add the curry powder and remaining salt, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until the mixture is combined and nearly dry. Add the broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the peas and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for just a few minutes until the peas are tender but still vibrant green.
  2. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly. Transfer the soup to the blender in batches, and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds until smooth and creamy. (For conventional blenders, remove the small center lid cap and cover the opening with a kitchen towel so steam can escape while you blend.) Return the soup to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and warm it over low heat.
  3. To make the croutons, heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add half the tempeh slices, without crowding. Fry on one side for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. Turn them over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes. (You may need to add more coconut oil.) Drain the tempeh on a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat with the remaining coconut oil and tempeh slices, adding more coconut oil as needed.
  4. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with tempeh croutons. 

Recipe Notes

Recipe from Extraordinary Vegan by Alan Roettinger. Published by Book Publishing Company.

Photo by Trent Lanz; styling by Alicia Buszczak

Comments

Comments 6

  1. This was delicious! Thank you for posting the recipe Tess. I bought your new book – one for my best friend, one as a housewarming present and one for me!

    1. Oh, thankyou Pavla. I really appreciate the support. I hope you and your friend are enjoying the book. I am glad you enjoyed this soup. I thought it was really different and quite tasty.

  2. Whenever i purée soups in my Vitamix, they end up airy like whipped cream. Is there a secret to making it less airy?

    1. Because of the high speeds you are going to get more air. If you leave the blended soup to sit on the stove for 10 minutes before serving, that will calm down. You can blend on a lower speed, but you won’t get really creamy consistencies.

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