Chrissy Teigen's Carrot + Coconut Soup

Many people reading already know this fact about me: I am an unabashed Chrissy Teigen lover. I know it’s easy to form parasocial relationships with celebs but I truly know in my heart that we would be BFF if we ever met. We share the same sense of humor, taste in trashy tv, and affinity for cooking and sharing the fun of eating & drinking with others. Sometimes I just sit and think about her Four Weddings IG story and laugh to myself. (If you know, you know.)

On a serious note, I also think she is incredibly brave and vulnerable in sharing so much of her life and her family. She opens herself up to all sorts of criticism from closed-minded people on the internet and I would hope to be half as brave and resilient if (or should I say WHEN) I become a public figure with millions of followers.

But back to the recipes! While I may not be friends with Chrissy IRL (yet), I also have great taste in actual friends who also love her recipes and cookbooks. So many fun memories are tied to Chrissy’s Cravings recipes - dinner parties, potlucks, bachelorette brunches (hellloooo everything bagel casserole), housewarmings, and most recently, Zoom cooking clubs. The red curry from the second Cravings book has been a quarantine cooking staple along with her crab fried rice and this carrot coconut soup.

So, Chrissy Teigen’s Carrot Coconut Soup is a bit of a joke among some of my pals because it’s “cursed” - the first time my friend tried to make it for me, she somehow burned it… badly. The soup was black and stuck to the bottom of her Le Creuset and her apartment filled with smoke. How is that even possible for a soup?! To this day, we do not know. Then a different friend made it and got violently ill the next day - not inherently FROM this delicious recipe but it was a casualty of her being sick…

Anyway, I have never had anything but a good experience when I make this soup, and I do not believe it to be cursed until you think that being extremely cozy and flavorful is a bad thing. This recipe is readily available online on a few different blogs and news websites so I figured I’d share with you here as well - but I strongly recommend purchasing her cookbooks and/or checking out her Cravings website for plenty other recipes and A+ Chrissy content!

Carrot + Coconut Soup

Serves 4

adapted from Cravings: Hungry for More by Adeena Sussman and Chrissy Teigen
My (Emily!) notes italicized below.

Soup ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter (I like to sub coconut oil in here. Just a personal preference!)
1 small onion, chopped
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, shaken (I have used lite before too, with good results.)
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, trimmed
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (from a 1/2 inch piece)
2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
Chili Oil and/or Crispy Shallots for serving (recipe/instructions available in the cookbook!)
Cilantro for garnish

In a medium-large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Once foamy and slightly browned, add the onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook, stirring, until softened and the onion has turned deep golden, 18 to 20 minutes (some bits of the onion will turn a little darker than others - it’s cool).

Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, lemongrass, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a very low simmer, cover (leave the lid open a crack), and walk away for 40 minutes.

Stir in the sweet chili sauce, remove from heat, and let cool slightly. Remove and discard the lemongrass. Blend the soup in the pot with a stick blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Divide among bowls and top with chili oil and/or crispy shallots. Garnish with cilantro.

Note on toppings: Last time I made this, pictured above, I topped with cilantro, shallots, TJ’s chili onion crunch, and crispy tofu! Shortcut for crispy tofu - dice, coat in a thin layer of avocado oil, season with S&P, bake in the oven at 375 for about 45 min or until crisped up on the outside! - Emily