Indonesian Curried Vegetable Soup

Mmm Mmm Good. I made this soup the other night, and it is yummy. The title of this dish states that it is curried, but I noticed the recipe did not call for "curry" at all. On research, I found out while there is such a thing as a "curry" leaf, the blend of the many spices in the recipe below are just some that make up "curry" (there are many variations of spices to make curry powder). You probably already knew that though. Below is the recipe for curried vegetable soup. I have a horrible time following recipes exactly and usually end up eyeballing instead of measuring -- and doubling or tripling. I suppose also that one could just add curry powder to the dish and not mess with all the other ingredients (probably much more cost effective than running out and buying which individual spice not already on hand like I did). But I have to say, there was some satisfaction in making my own curry spice.
(p.s. - the spice turmeric in the curry has been noted to"be useful in managing cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, and liver conditions. It has also been speculated that Turmeric may play a role in slowing the spread of breast cancer. " Just FYI). Eat up!
Indonesian Curried Vegetable Soup

2 T olive oil

2 medium onions, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 tsp. minced ginger (it comes in a jar too)

2 C. thinly sliced mushrooms (I did not have mushrooms, so I used carrots)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 large boiling (waxy) potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1½ cups green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper
½ cup fine egg noodles or 1-inch pieces broken spaghetti

1. Warm oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté, stirring often, 10 minutes or until onions are soft and golden.

2. Add mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes. Sprinkle on coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne and cook 2 minutes, stirring often.

3. Pour in the stock, coconut milk, and salt, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Mix in the green beans, red pepper, and noodles, and cook at a lively simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables and noodles are tender. Stir in lemon juice.

Serves: 4–6
Time: 1 hour