1 Heat the oil in a small soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the bell pepper. Sauté over medium-low heat until softened and golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

2 Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, and the green parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water before adding to the soup.

3 Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.

4 Serve, passing around the cilantro for topping.

Variation: If you have more time, this makes a wonderful cold summer soup. Do step 1, but don’t heat after adding the coconut milk and rice milk in step 2. Use 4 to 5 ears lightly cooked fresh corn instead of frozen corn; rinse under cool water and scrape off the kernels. If you’d like, use minced fresh chiles instead of the curry paste. Refrigerate the soup until chilled.