A fantastic, light and speedy soup that takes just 10 minutes to make. This is a lovely soup for the summer months. Note: this is also fabulous as a beetroot soup. Just add four cooked vacuum-packed beetroot instead of the peas and simmer for 15 minutes, then proceed as below. It is a good idea, before you start, to check how hot your chillis are, as they can vary in strength.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients 

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

2 stalks of lemongrass

1 red chilli, deseeded

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger

Rapeseed oil

850ml chicken or vegetable stock

450g peas, fresh or frozen

Nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

½ lime 

Some fresh coriander
A little crème fraiche (optional)

Method

Place the onion, garlic, lemongrass, chilli and ginger in a food processor and blitz until well chopped.

Heat some oil in a large saucepan, add the blitzed vegetables and sweat over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until soft. Pour in the stock, and bring the soup to the boil. 

Add the peas and bring the liquid back to the boil. The peas do not need to be cooked any more than this or they can lose their vibrancy.

Blitz with a stick blender until fairly smooth. Season with some nam pla and lime juice to taste. When serving, top with the coriander and a little crème fraiche if desired.