This soup is full of bangin’ flavours, requires very little effort, and if you’re using spices & stock cubes from the pantry or homemade stock, it’ll cost less to feed 4 people than it would for a single burger & chips. So save this for when the budget is tight and you still have hungry mouths to feed!

We like to cook this soup using a slow-cooker, but if you don’t have one, just use a pot on the stove and simmer on medium for 30-40 minutes (or until carrots & lentils are tender). You could also use the energy-efficient ‘hot/hay box’ method of cooking, as Hannah from Good Life Permaculture has shared.

Just use the heaviest pot you’ve got, get the contents up to a proper boil, then nestle it into a box lined with thick layers of blankets and leave in a warm spot for a few hours to cook in its own residual thermal heat.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1 brown onion
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 2 extra large carrots
• 1/2 cup dried split red lentils
• Small knob fresh ginger
• 2tsp cumin seeds
• 2tsp ground coriander
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• 1-2tsp chilli flakes (to your spice liking)
• 1.5L veg/chicken stock OR 2 stock cubes & 1.5L hot water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk OR 4tbsp coconut milk powder (or just regular milk if that’s what you’ve got)

Method:

1. Peel & slice garlic & onion. Wash & dice carrots. Peel & grate ginger.
2. Place everything except the coconut milk into the pot.
3. Set slow cooker to ‘Low’ for 6 hours or ‘High’ for 4, and allow to cook with the occasional stir.
4. 30 minutes before time is up, add coconut milk.
5. Once cooked through (when carrots are tender), remove about a cup of liquid and set aside.
6. Blitz the rest with a stick mixer or in blender. Adjust consistency to your liking with reserved liquid.
7. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and serve with toasted flatbread and some kimchi.

Permaculture Principle 3: Obtain a yield; 5: Use and value renewable resources and services; 6: Produce no waste; 8: Integrate rather than segregate; 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal.