Beetroot Soup with Coconut Milk

Can you tell us why we use beets so little and so monotonously? Borsch, beetroot, "fur coat" and vinaigrette ... But she is so tasty, healthy, beautiful, finally! Here's a recipe for a great spicy and refreshing Asian-style soup to expand your beetroot horizons. You can cook it both in winter and in summer, serving it either scalding hot or, conversely, ice cold.

Ingredients

• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 2 large beets
• 4 medium shallots
• 500 ml of coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup (125 g) natural yogurt
• 3 tbsp. l. soft goat or curd cheese
• small bunch of cilantro
• salt
• 3 cm fresh ginger root
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 fresh red chili
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil

Directions

1. Wrap the beets in several layers of foil and bake in an oven preheated to 180 ° C until tender, 50–70 min. Pour cold water over, peel, cool slightly and cut into cubes.
2. For the spice paste, remove the dried leaves from the lemongrass, remove the tops of the stems, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) finely chopped. Chop the garlic, ginger and chili. Combine ginger, garlic, chili, lemongrass, vegetable oil, juice, and lime zest. Grind with a blender into a smooth paste, adding a little water if necessary.
3. For the soup, finely chop the shallots, fry in a heavy-bottomed saucepan in heated oil over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add the spice paste, cook, stirring for another 5 minutes.
4. Place the beets in a saucepan, cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Pour in lukewarm broth, bring to a boil over low heat, cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat, cover, season with salt and pepper, leave for 10 minutes.
5. For cilantro dressing, remove the leaves from the stems (the stems are not needed here). Finely chop the leaves. Whisk yogurt with cheese with a fork until smooth, add cilantro and salt, stir.
6. Heat the coconut milk just before serving, pour into a blender, add the soup and whisk until smooth. Pour into bowls and serve with a spoonful of dressing in each bowl.