Carrot, Coconut and Cardamom Soup
We work in the shop all morning and then lunchtime comes along. We are fortunate because our shop is on the front of our house. So late morning I can walk through from the shop to the kitchen to make whatever we fancy for eat. As the summer slips away, we start to crave warm lunches. Today I had some carrots lurking in the fridge which were on their way out. So I decided to make 3 Cs Soup - Carrot, Coconut and Cardamom Soup - rather than let them go to waste.
Homemade soup is such a joy. Full of (in this case) vegetable goodness, easy to knock up in no time flat and very cheap to make. And I love love love the warming taste of Cardamom. Carrot and Coriander soup is the one everyone talks about, Carrot and Cardamom soup is better. Well it is if you love Cardamom. And did I mention: I love Cardamom.
Stick blenders are an essential piece of kit for homemade soup, I love my Kenwood Hand Blender. And if I remove the cutting end and wash it immediately after I use it, nothing sticks. Which means there's just one pan to wash up. Joy.
Often my soups are full of butter and milk, but I think coconut is a wonderful match with cardamom. Thus this soup is also vegan friendly.
Carrot, Coconut and Cardamom Soup (3 Cs Soup)
Serves 2
Ingredients
Half a pound of carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and sliced
Half a leek, sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 green cardamom pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar
Half a can of coconut milk, preferably organic (rather than the ones with guar gum and all that nonsense added)
A little Alpro Coconut "milk" to thin at the end - or water works fine if you haven't got any
Coconut yogurt to dollop on top at the end, if you have some.
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Put the chopped carrots and sweet potato on a baking tray.
3. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little coconut or olive oil.
3. Roast for 20 minutes.
4. Add the leek and roast for another 20 minutes. The leek will char a little - this is good.
5. Discard the pods from the crushed the cardamom, leaving only the seeds behind.
6. Fry the crushed cardamom seeds in a dry saucepan for 30 seconds or so.
7. Add a little coconut oil to the saucepan, then the onion and garlic.
8. Cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes until the onion is starting to soften.
9. Add all the roasted veg and the coconut milk.
10. Cook for about 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
11. Liquidise with a stick blender, adding a little Alpro coconut until the soup is thinned to your liking.
12. Serve with a little more Coconut milk or yogurt stirred through.
Yum.
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