This is carrot soup with a spicy difference – all the flavours of the East and topped with a toasted cashew nut and coriander salsa. Now the weather has turned more autumnal, a new soup recipe is always welcome.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time 40 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
2 teaspoons each cumin and coriander seeds
8 green cardamom pods – crush and remove outer shell
3 onions – peeled and chopped
2kg carrots – peeled and chopped
4 salad tomatoes – chopped
3 cm piece fresh ginger – peeled and finely chopped
1 green chilli – chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
~
1 litre vegetable stock
1 lemon – juiced
400ml coconut or cashew milk
Salsa
100g cashew nuts – toasted
1 teaspoon coriander seeds – toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 spring onion -roughly chopped
30g fresh coriander
½ green chilli – deseeded
1 lime – juice and zest
Garnish: Sprigs of fresh coriander
Method
For the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the seeds and cardamom and cook until they start to sizzle.
Add the onion, carrot, tomatoes, ginger, chilli, turmeric and teaspoons salt. Cook for 10 minutes stirring from time to time.
Add the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Liquidise to a smooth consistency. Add the milk and lemon juice. Taste and season accordingly. Warm though gently.
For the salsa, blitz the cashew nuts and seeds together until they form a paste. Add the spring onion, fresh coriander, chilli and lime juice.
Season with salt and pepper. Loosen with1 tablespoon water and blitz again to a creamy consistency.
To serve: Add a spoonful or salsa to the hot soup. Garnish with sprigs of fresh coriander.
