This soup is the perfect winter warmer dish. It’s spicy, zesty, nutritious and won’t take you longer than 20 mins from start to finish.
Grating the sweet potato before cooking soup is a tip that I discovered in one of Donna Hay’s cookbooks just over a year ago. At first I thought the technique to be a little unusual and unnecessary but soon realised it dramatically reduced the cooking time and also allowed for an extra smoothened creamy soup when blending with my very inexpensive $20 hand blender.
The combination of chilli and orange zest packs a punch and adds great depth of flavour to a simple one pot dish, but if you’re not big on these flavours you can always omit the chilli or orange or reduce the amounts for an equally delicious and comforting soup. For some crunch and added nutrition toast flaked almonds on a pan and sprinkle on top with some chopped coriander and a drizzle of yoghurt.
If you would like to make a more substantial meal out of the soup then you could try adding some chickpeas when you are reheating the soup after it has been blended. This will add just a little bit more texture and nourishment to the soup. If you’ve got extra time on your hands then why not roast some spiced chickpeas in the oven while preparing your soup – add a spoonful or two on top of your bowl of soup for some delicious crunchy chickpea croutons.
What you need:
1kg sweet potato
1 litre vegetable stock
1-2tsp chilli flakes
1tsp fresh or ground ginger
2tsp cumin
2tsp ground coriander
Zest of 1 orange
Water
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
What you gotta do:
Peel and grate sweet potatoes.
Add oil and spices to a large saucepan over a medium heat for 2 mins before adding grated sweet potato and stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 mins until potato is cooked.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and blend with a hand blender or whichever blender you have at hand. While blending add one cup measure of water until the soup is your preferred consistency. If you like a thinner soup you can either add more stock or more water depending on your preference.
Put saucepan back over a medium heat and add the orange zest. The orange flavour will develop and intensify over time, so if you are a little skeptical you can start off by adding a smaller amount.
While the soup is heating up again, place a pan over a low heat before adding a handful or two of flaked almonds. Toast the almonds over a low here until they start to lightly brown, turn off heat and continue to toss in pan until they appear to be toasted. Remove from pan and set aside in a small bowl.
Once the soup is almost heated through, season with salt and pepper and tase before serving.
Garnish with coriander, toasted flaked almonds and a drizzle of yoghurt.
Enjoy x
Bare Wholefood Feeds 