Asian gazpacho

If you like both Thai food and Spanish gazpacho you will love this recipe by Domini Kemp.  I think it’s fantastic.  Have it as a filling snack, as a starter or with some chicken or fish and a little green salad for a main meal. If you don’t like cold soups, then this can be heated very gently until only just lukewarm.

 

 

 

 

 

For 4-6 servings

For the soup:
400ml tin full fat coconut milk (go for organic from health shops – free from chemical emulsifiers and BPA in tin linings)
1 large ripe avocado
2 large tomatoes, cut into rough chunks
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Big knob ginger
1 large tbs (25g) non-gmo miso paste from a jar or vacuum pack (if you are gluten-free then brown rice miso is best, or hatcho miso)
Juice of 2 limes and 2 lemons
1 courgette, sliced
1 red chilli, de-seeded and sliced
Big bunch each coriander and basil
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
Black pepper to taste

For garnish:
1 red onion, very finely chopped
Fresh coriander

1. Blitz everything except the garnish ingredients in a liquidiser or food processor to form a smooth soup.
2. Pour into bowls and sprinkle the finely chopped red onion and coriander on top.

Why this is great for you
The raw miso in this soup is packed with beneficial bacteria so important for your skin, digestion and even your mood.  Heating above 45C would destroy these good bacteria so the fact the soup is raw is brilliant. Beneficial bacteria help your body to clear used-up hormones such as testosterone and oestrogens, help repair your intestines and make digestive enzymes and even control your mood and how your skin looks.  Coriander, lemon, lime and garlic actively help your liver and gut clear normal (and abnormal) toxins out of your body. In our chemical-laden modern world, this is good news. Coconut milk contains capryllic acid, which, like raw garlic, helps to kill off excessive pathogenic yeasts (eg candida albicans).  Fresh coriander also binds to heavy metals (like mercury from dental fillings) and escorts them safely out of your body via your bowel.