Spiced Carrot & Coriander Soup
Cook Time: ~30 Minutes
The key to this dish is in the prep, of which there are ~10 minutes. Following that, it’s ~20 minutes of pot watching and a quick blitz with a hand blender. I find that soup is a perfect recipe to construct for those slow Sunday afternoons, leaving you with enough bowls to enjoy for the coming week. A soup is a perfect way to pack in a range of high-quality vegetables & ingredients and with winter around the corner, makes for a pleasant, hot, dish that can easily be heated up from the fridge during the day. Sure, it might be slightly more cost-effective, and less time-consuming, to simply purchase pre-made soups from a supermarket. I do that on occasion. But there is nothing that beats homemade soup. Moreover, the volume of soup you get from this recipe is ~5-6x greater (great for couples or families) and you’ll find that the ingredients are fresher, with the absence of preservatives and added sugar. Plus, it flexes the cooking muscle and is fun to make.
Serves: 4
Time: ~30 Minutes
Information - What you require
Ingredients
• 1x Medium onion
• Carrots (700g)
• 1x Finger of ginger
• 1x Finger of fresh turmeric (or 1 tbsp of ground)
• 1x Bunch of coriander
• 1x Large chilli & 4x birds eye chilli
• 1x Lime
• 1x Lemongrass stalk
• Olive Oil
• Ground black pepper
• Fish sauce (one tbsp)
• Coconut milk (400ml)
• Water, boiling (900ml)
Optional Ingredients
As always, this is the level of heat that I personally enjoy. For those who are not as enthused with spice, I would recommend 1-2 birds eye chillies and perhaps leaving out the large chilli, which is for garnishing. Whilst we are on the subject, I would add that a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or a generous slice of butter is a great way to garnish this dish when you decide to serve individual portions.
Lastly, locating fresh turmeric can be arduous, so ground can be used as a substitute.
Equipment
• Cheese grater
• Hand blender (or food processor)
• Kettle
• Large cooking pot
Mise En Place - Food preparation
Take your onion and slice it thinly. Take your carrots and slice them into consistent circles. You may peel them if you wish, however, I opt not to because I feel that the skin of a carrot contains flavour and roughage that I like in soups. Chop ~95% of your coriander, leaving a small pinch for garnishing. With the flat side of your knife, bash the stalk of lemongrass all the way down the body, allowing it to crack slightly (don’t decimate it, we want it intact). Squeeze the juice of one lime, and thinly slice all of your chillies.
Remove the skin from your ginger and grate it, trying to capture some of the juices if you can, as there is immense flavour there. A pre-warning, handling fresh turmeric results in yellow fingers, so wear gloves if you wish to avoid that. Peel the skin of the turmeric, exposing that energetic orange flesh, and grate. I use fresh turmeric in this dish because it carries a more vibrant flavour than the ground variety, and the flavour is more readily absorbed into the body of the soup. That said, it can be hard to come by, so one tablespoon of ground turmeric will suffice if you struggle to find it.
Cooking Process
Grab your large pot, ideally something that can hold more than 4 litres, bring it to a reasonable heat, and drizzle in a healthy amount of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add your chopped onions and your stick of lemongrass. You should hear a welcoming sizzle as you introduce the onions to the pan. Allow the onions to fry until they soften, stirring to avoid burning, which should take 3-4 minutes.
Once the onions have softened, throw in your grated ginger and turmeric and your sliced birds eye chilli. Mix in the ingredients and allow them to sizzle together for ~1 minute. Fire up the kettle with ~900ml of water and bring it to a boil. You should find that the contents of your pot will take on a magnificent yellow colour.
Once the minute has passed, add your 700g of chopped carrots and mix once again. As your kettle comes to a boil, add the 900ml of boiling water, as well as your 400ml of coconut milk, and mix the broth together. At this stage, you will be presented with a watery, yellowy, liquid that doesn’t appear to be all that appetising. But trust the process, the viscosity of the soup comes later when the carrots are blended. You now want to bring your broth to a boil, before turning the heat down and letting the pot simmer for ~20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the carrots become soft and tender, the dish is ready for the next stage. Now, the hard work is all done, and 20 minutes is enough time to enjoy a drink of your choice.
Once the 20 minutes are up, and you have checked the carrots are tender, remove the stick of lemongrass, and add in some ground black pepper, your chopped coriander, and one tablespoon of fish sauce. The fish sauce should replace the need for salt in this recipe, but you can always season to taste later. With the ingredients stirred in, take your hand blender and blitz the soup until smooth. At this stage, you taste the soup, adding in additional fish sauce, lime juice, or pepper, to taste.
When serving into individual portions, I like to sprinkle ground black pepper, apply a few leaves of coriander, and place slices of the larger chilli. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or a generous slice of butter also works incredibly well.
And there you have it, a dish which can be pulled out of the fridge and consumed several times over the week ahead. Super simple, exquisitely tasty, and packed with nutritious ingredients.
If you do attempt this dish, please let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. Also, this newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you feel you know someone who would enjoy this publication please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor