Lentil and Coconut Soup

I am a long-time subscriber to Delicious magazine, but have to admit that I have a tendency to drool over the pictures, write out a list of recipes I'd like to try, and then put the magazine on the shelf - never to be touched again. However, I'm getting a little bored with my lazy meat and steamed vegetable meals that we've been having lately, and would like to add a few new recipes to my repertoire. Maybe even get some value out of all these magazines!

I started with the Tuesday Night Cooking section - quick dishes designed for the busy mid-week. Lentil and coconut soup caught my eye in the July edition (Issue 95, page 106) since I bought a big packet of red lentils a while back, and have no idea what to do with them.

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
450g bacon rashers, cut into 1cm strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks (white part only), sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes (I only used 1 since I was serving this to a toddler!)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken stock
400g can coconut milk (I used coconut cream as it was what I had in the cupboard)
Juice of 1 lime
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve

Procedure

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the bacon for 4-6 minutes until golden. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel.
2. Heat olive oil in the same saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leek and garlic, cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in the chilli flakes and lentils.
3. Add the stock and coconut milk, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Remove from heat and stire through bacon.
4. Add lime juice and divide amongst serving bowls. Garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Serves 6. I served it as a main course with toast (although some Roti or other Asian-style flat-bread would have suited the dish better!). This was such a tasty dish compared to what we've been eating lately. I love the South-East Asian flavours of coconut and chilli, and the lentils and bacon made it quite a hearty dish. This one is definitely going to be cooked again!