Thai Tomato Coconut Soup

Coconut milk was the inspiration for making this soup.  I had some left from another recipe and needed to use up a jar of tomato sauce in the freezer.  I'm not the fastest cook, but I whipped this soup out in no time!

Tomato soup is often paired with basil, so I liked how this soup had some unexpected flavors like ginger and coconut.

Nutrition Highlight: Tomatoes

Many people are unsure if tomatoes should be called fruits or vegetables.  I learned in my Principles of Culinary Management class that tomatoes are botanically a fruit (as are pumpkins, cucumbers, corn, peas, eggplant, and bell peppers) but are culinarily classified as vegetables.

If you're worried about cancer, eat some cooked tomatoes!  Tomatoes have high levels of the antioxidant, lycopene, which is also responsible for tomatoes' ruby red hue.  Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that should be cooked because this process breaks down the cell walls, allowing the release of lycopene.

Eating tomatoes with a little fat, like olive oil, helps the body absorb lycopene.

Tomatoes also prevent heart disease due to niacin, folate, and B6.  

Another bonus from indulging in tomatoes is their ability to impede inflammation, which is often seen in people with osteoporosis and Alzheimer's.  So you may want to tell your parents or grandparents to start eating more tomatoes as preventative action against these age related diseases.

Cooking Tip

You can freeze coconut milk and meals with coconut milk.

A few years ago, I read that coconut milk shouldn't be frozen due to separation.  So, I avoided making anything with coconut milk for awhile because I didn't want it to go bad.   

However, I really wanted to experiment with Thai flavors, and coconut milk is definitely a staple Thai ingredient.  I decided to try freezing the soup and found no textural damage upon reheating.  Now I freely use coconut milk! Yay!

Thai Tomato Coconut Soup 
Printable Recipe

Please note that not all the tofu and spinach should be added if you are planning on freezing this soup.  Tofu becomes very chewy when frozen and spinach loses it's beautiful color and texture.

1 T coconut oil (more flavorful) or olive oil

1/2 medium white onion, chopped (1 c)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T grated fresh ginger

8 oz (1 cup) plain tomato sauce 

1/2 T Thai Kitchen red curry paste

1 c light coconut milk (or 1/2 c water + 1/2 c full fat coconut milk)

1 T brown sugar

1 T fish sauce

1 tsp lime zest

1/2 T lime juice

7-14 oz firm tofu, pressed, cubed (read italicized note)

2 full cups of baby spinach (read italicized note)

Cooking Time: about 15 min.

To press the tofu, wrap it in 2 linen towels and put a textbook on top of it for an hour.  Then cut the block into 5 strips, starting from the short end. Cut these strips into 1" cubes and keep the cubed strips separate from each other. Set aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for 1 minute more. 

Stir in tomato sauce and curry paste, and allow the flavors to meld for about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, zest & juice.

If you're not planning on freezing the soup, add all 14 oz of tofu. If you are going to freeze, only add 1 cubed-strip per person. Save the rest of the tofu to add when reheating. Tofu keeps for about 1 week after opening.

Let the soup simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken a bit. Add spinach, cook 1 minute, serve.  (Don't add spinach to the soup that you're going to freeze because it's more visually appealing if you add it at the end of reheating.)

Makes 4- 5 servings.  I kept 2 servings in a yogurt container and froze the other 3 in individual containers for the following week.