THAI GAZPACHO

THAI GAZPACHO

Serves: about 4 Cups

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large yellow tomatoes, cut into chunks

• ½ English cucumber, cut into chunks

• ½ yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks

• 1 small shallot

• 1 Tbls. (heaping) lemon grass paste*

• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

• 1 lime, juice (+ the zest)

• 2 Tbls. fish sauce

• 1 Tbls. palm sugar

• 1 tsp. chile paste

• ¼ C. each, mint, Thai basil (can use regular)

• ½ C. coconut milk (I used full fat coconut milk from a can)

• Garnish: Chilled, cooked shrimp, chopped herbs or drizzle of coconut milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In food processor, pulse tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper and shallot.
2. Add lemon grass, ginger, lime juice and zest, fish sauce, palm sugar, chile paste and herbs. Puree all ingredients together. Add coconut milk and combine. Taste and adjust accordingly, you may want more spice, a little saltier with more fish sauce, maybe a little sweeter with palm sugar, etc.
3. Pour into bowl and chill soup in refrigerator for several hours so flavors will meld together and soup gets very cold.
4. Serve topped with shrimp, additional chopped herbs or red pepper flakes, perhaps a swirl of more coconut milk, etc. Whatever you like!

*I didn't have fresh lemon grass available so I used the "paste" that comes in a tube, readily found in the produce section of the supermarket. I'm sure you could use fresh lemon grass if you prefer.

I use Thai palm sugar like thisthat I got from Amazon. If you don't have it you can substitute with brown sugar or perhaps granulated coconut sugar, although I didn't try it with that.