Curried root soup
It may be a bit strange to start by telling you to ignore the recipe, but that's what we're going to do here. Well, not ignore it exactly, but do adjust the veg to suit yourself and what you have to hand. Just make sure that you end up with about 700g roots and potato, chopped into 2cm (or so) cubes. No parsnips? Substitute 200g turnips, or up the other vegetables slightly, and so on. This is just a great basic recipe for creating a tasty, satisfying soup and I do hope you'll make it your own.
Prep 15mins Cook 35mins Servs 4
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, ground spices and curry powder. Fry gently, stirring frequently, for 5-10 minutes until the onions are soft, then add the chopped roots and potato. Cook gently for another 10 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Purée the soup in a blender, in batches if necessary, until smooth, then return to the pan and heat through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, scatter over the chopped coriander and add a little minted natural yoghurt. Serve with some warm flat breads or naan.
Variations
Vary the roots according to what you have available. Just keep the total weight approximately the same, and don't substitute the potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
- 1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
- 3 tsp medium curry powder
- 200g carrots, peeled and chopped
- 200g celeriac, peeled and chopped
- 200g parsnip, peeled and cut into small dice
- 100g potato, peeled and chopped
- 1.5 litres light vegetable stock (or chicken)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- Natural yoghurt or vegan alternative, flavoured with a little chopped mint
- Flat breads or naan
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