Vietnamese Style Vegetarian Curry Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk lemon grass, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced
• 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 pound fried tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce (optional)
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 8 small potatoes, quartered
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
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• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts, for garnish
• 8 sprigs fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish