Bagus Mushroom Soup

This blog seems to have been more about musings and less about recipes lately, so here is a recipe to try to restore some balance. 'Bagus' is the Malay (and Indonesian) word for 'good', and it is also the name of the resort we stayed at last month on Tioman Island. The food at Bagus Place was great, and one night they served us a wonderfully creamy, spicy mushroom soup. Here is my attempt at recreating it at home.

1 red onion, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, peeled, trimmed and chopped finely
splash of olive oil
1 small red chilli, chopped
500g potatoes, chopped
250g mushrooms, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups water
salt and pepper (to taste)

Gently fry the onion, lemongrass and chilli in the olive oil. Add the potatoes, mushrooms, coconut milk and water, bring to the boil and boil uncovered about half an hour. Add salt and/or pepper if you like.