A refreshing cold soup to guzzle down in hot weather
Diana Henry shares recipes for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. Her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters. Click here to sign up to receive Diana's Recipes Newsletter – featuring a weekly meal planner – every Saturday.
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Chilled soups aren’t traditional in this country, but during a brief summer heatwave there’s nothing else quite so refreshing. Served in small portions, this fragrant pea soup can feed a lot of people. If you’re going to do that, make more of the crab mixture.
Requires chilling time
Overview
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Serves
8
or more
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 green chillies, halved, deseeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes
- 650g frozen or fresh peas
- 600ml vegetable or light chicken stock
- 2 x 160ml cans coconut cream
- 25g fresh coriander, very roughly chopped
- 5 tbsp fish sauce, or as needed
- caster sugar, if needed
To serve
- 150g white crabmeat
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ red and ½ green chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander, chopped
- 8 radishes, of mixed colours, cut into matchsticks
Method
Step
Heat 1 tbsp groundnut oil in a heavy-based pan.
Step
Add 1 finely chopped onion and a little salt and cook over a low heat until the onion is softening, but isn’t coloured.
Step
Add 2.5cm peeled and grated piece of fresh ginger, 2 chopped green chillies and 2 finely sliced garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 more minutes.
Step
Add the finely grated zest of 2 limes, 650g frozen or fresh peas, 600ml vegetable or light chicken stock and 2 x 160ml cans coconut cream and bring to just under the boil.
Step
Turn down the heat, simmer for 3 minutes, then pour the soup into a cold container and leave it to cool.
Step
Once the soup has reached room temperature, purée with 25g roughly chopped fresh coriander in batches, using a blender ideally, as it gives a smoother result than a food processor.
Step
Add the juice of 2 limes and 5 tbsp fish sauce, then purée again.
Step
Taste for seasoning and, if needed, add more fish sauce, lime juice or even a tiny pinch of caster sugar (if needed) – you need to get a good balance of sweet and sour flavours. Chill the soup.
Step
To serve, mix 150g white crabmeat with the juice of 1 lime, the finely chopped ½ red and ½ green chilli, 2 tbsp chopped coriander and a little salt.
Step
Sprinkle some of the 8 radishes sliced into matchsticks on the top of each serving, then spoon some crab mixture on top. Serve.