Soup rarely has a recipe – I write it down sort of, if it works, and maybe try to replicate it again. My Thai red curry carrot soup was an experiment that continues to wow me but other experiments are not as successful.

What will this makeshift onion soup be like? When I made it, I didn’t know.

Here’s what I did:

I sauteed about ten red onions in olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. I left this to do its magic for about 30 or 40 minutes. Meanwhile I boiled about four cups of water with one cube of vegetable bouillon, one tablespoon of curry powder and some chopped garlic – I let that simmer until it reduced considerably. When the onions were ready, I dumped them in the broth pot, let it simmer another ten minutes and then blended with a stick blender. Afterwards I stirred in about half a cup of coconut milk – but you could use cream or milk or whatever you want.

Not bad, if you like onions. Actually it is not pretty but it tastes really fabulous – a hint of the caramelized flavor, only a hint of the curry (but it makes a difference) and coconut milk instead of milk or something else gives this a very slight sweetness that plays well off the onion and curry. I am happy with this even though I was scared. I will definitely do this again. Especially because I often have so few things in my house with which to cook – but I always have onions, always have coconut milk – and that is almost all you need for this!