This soup has the peppery flavour of watercress, cooked with the delicate fragrance of lemongrass and ginger in coconut cream. It is then chilled and served with hot chilli prawns.

Ingredients

• 200 grams watercress
• 2 tblsp oil
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 stalk fresh lemon grass, bruised
• 300 grams potatoes, peeled and diced
• 400 ml can coconut cream
• 2½ cups good vegetable stock
• ½ cup natural unsweetened yogurt
• 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 300 grams raw large peeled prawns
• 25 grams butter

Method

1. Trim watercress, discarding any coarse stalks, reserve a few sprigs for garnish.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and panfry the spring onions, ginger and watercress until softened, but not brown. Add the bruised lemon grass, potatoes, coconut cream and vegetable stock, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Discard the lemon grass stalk and cool the soup for15 minutes.
3. Process in a food processor or blender in batches if necessary, until smooth.
4. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the yogurt, cover and chill in the fridge.
5. Gently panfry the chillies and raw prawns in the butter for 2-3 minutes, until the prawns turn pink and are hot.
6. Serve the hot prawns immediately with the chilled soup.

Cooks Tips

- If you do nto have watercress, use rocket. - Use the heel of a cook's knife to bruise the lemongrass stalk.