Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup With Rice & Kale

This vegan red curry sweet potato soup is creamy, gingery and just spicy enough, with tender chunks of sweet potato, chewy purple kale and rice simmered right in the pot. Coconut milk makes the broth rich and silky, lime brightens up all the flavor and the red curry paste means you don’t have to do a whole lot of prep and it’s guaranteed to be sultry and delicious. It’s a whole meal in one pot, and it’s ready in about 40 minutes, with only 15 minutes of active time.

The texture is a wonderful grab bag.  The kale is rugged and chewy, the rice is fluffed up and soaked through with flavor, and the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy, just the perfect sweet bite. All of this in a creamy coconut base bursting with sensuous red curry flavors. The gingery aroma will waft through your entire mansion. So stop spending money on scented candles; soup is the best aromatherapy. 

This is a true one-pot soup. The rice cooks right in the broth, so there’s no separate pot of grains to deal with. You sauté the onion, garlic and ginger, add everything else in stages and finish it with coconut milk and lime. That’s all she wrote.

A Little Recipe Backstory

I first posted this soup back in January 2011, and a couple of years later it landed in Isa Does It. Almost 100 comments later, you’ve made it every which way. You swapped in rainbow chard, rapini and plain green kale, used maple syrup when agave was hard to find, and cooked it with brown rice, quinoa, wild rice and even pearl barley. Some of you stirred in tofu, chickpeas, red peppers, broccoli or frozen peas. One reader who hates sweet potatoes and isn’t crazy about coconut milk loved it anyway. A carnivore husband complained about the lack of meat right up until his second helping, another one took the leftovers to work, and more than one family got their kids to eat kale and sweet potatoes in the same bowl. Thank you for all the comments, they are always appreciated!

Let’s Bulk It Up!

Need a little protein boost? Don’t we all.

Tofu. Cube extra-firm tofu and brown it in a little olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes or so, then toss it with just a splash of tamari. Stir it into the soup at the end or pile it on top of each bowl.

Beans. Adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas or chickpeas all work. Drain and rinse a 15-ounce can and add it towards the end to heat through.

Seitan. Slice it, brush with olive oil and grill it in a grill pan until charred at the edges, then lay it over the top of each bowl.

Tips for the Best Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup

Rinse the rice. A quick rinse washes off the extra starch, so the rice stays fluffy and the broth stays clear and creamy.

Start with 2 tablespoons of curry paste. Brands vary a lot in heat and saltiness, so add the first 2 tablespoons, taste once the coconut milk is in and add more from there.

Cut the sweet potatoes evenly. Half-inch chunks cook in the same time as the rice and stay in nice tender pieces. They don’t have to be perfectly diced, chunky and weird is great. Just try to stay relatively the same size.

Serve it with sriracha. I keep the soup itself on the mild side and let everyone add their own heat at the table.

Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup FAQ

Is red curry paste vegan? Not always. A lot of Thai curry pastes contain shrimp paste or fish sauce, so check the label. Thai Kitchen red curry paste is vegan and easy to find in most grocery stores.

Is it spicy? Depends on your curry paste, since brands vary a lot in heat. Thai Kitchen is on the mild side. Start with 2 tablespoons, taste and add more from there. I keep the soup pretty mild and serve it with plenty of sriracha.

Won’t the rice get mushy? Nope. It’s timed so the rice is tender and fluffy when the sweet potatoes are done. It does keep soaking up broth as the soup sits, so leftovers get thicker.

Can I use brown rice or another grain? Yup. For brown rice, simmer it for 20 minutes more before adding the curry paste, sweet potatoes and kale. Quinoa works too, and readers have used wild rice (about 30 minutes more) and pearl barley. Just give the grain a head start until it’s nearly tender before the sweet potatoes go in.

Can I use a different green? Absolutely. Curly green kale, lacinato, rainbow chard all work. If you use chard, slice the stems thinly and add them with the leaves. You can also wilt in spinach at the end.

Is purple kale the same as red kale? Close enough. Stores label it either way, and both work great here.

Can I use maple syrup instead of agave? For sure. You won’t even taste the maple. Or leave it out if the coconut milk tastes sweet enough to you.

Can I use full-fat coconut milk? Hells yeah. It makes the soup richer and creamier. The lite version keeps it a little lighter, and both are delicious.

Can I make it ahead? Yup yup yup. It keeps in the refrigerator for about four days. Add a splash of vegetable broth or water when you reheat it.

Can I freeze it? You can, for up to three months. The rice gets a little softer after thawing, but the flavor holds up.

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Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup With Rice & Kale

Isa Chandra

A creamy vegan red curry sweet potato soup with chewy purple kale and rice simmered right in the pot. One pot, about 40 minutes, with only 15 minutes of active time.

5 from 1 vote

Notes

~ Since curry pastes vary from brand to brand, start with 2 tablespoons and add more from there. I don’t make this very spicy, but I definitely serve it with plenty of sriracha.

~ Check the label on your curry paste, since many contain shrimp paste or fish sauce. Thai Kitchen is vegan.

~ If you would like to use brown rice, that’s fine! Just let it simmer for 20 minutes more before adding the curry paste, sweet potatoes, and kale.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 teaspoon salt plus a pinch
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup basmati or jasmine rice rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 pound purple kale leaves torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 15 ounce can lite coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
• Sriracha for serving

Instructions

 

• Preheat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the onion in the oil with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes or so, until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 more minute.
• Add the rice, broth, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cover the pot, and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the curry paste. Add the kale and sweet potatoes. Cover the pot and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
• Add the coconut milk, lime juice, and agave. Taste for seasoning. Add more curry paste if you think it needs it. Serve garnished with fresh chopped cilantro, if you like, and sriracha.

Keyword coconut curry soup, one pot soup, red curry sweet potato soup, sweet potato curry soup, sweet potato kale soup, vegan red curry soup, vegan soup

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