Curried Carrot Soup

...And one day later, here it is: my own curried carrot soup. It consists of:

• carrots
• chicken broth (stock would have been even better, but I didn't have any fresh stock on hand)
• coconut milk
• lemongrass
  
• cardamom pods
• curry powder
• ground coriander seeds
• fresh cilantro
• fresh ginger
• turmeric
• ground cumin seeds
• fish sauce

The garnish is a crispy fried sage leaf. It has a slight bitterness and crunch that complements the sweet, creamy soup.

The soup is so thick and hearty that it can be a meal on its own. However, if you prefer to cut the calories or have it more liquid, you can omit the coconut milk and use only chicken stock or broth. In the past, I have used potatoes as a thickening agent in place of heavy cream. I've read that sweet potatoes go very well with curry. Alternatively, someone told me that moist bread crumbs could also be used as a reduced-calorie thickening agent.