Curried Cauliflower Soup

Hannah Sunderani
Oct 8, 2016
4 min read

Okay, so I have officially transitioned to wanting soup for every meal including snack time! It didn't take very long, did it? What is it about the cold weather that makes pureed vegetables look so tantalizingly delicious!? I will never understand the logic behind it...but all I know is that come the Fall I get serious cravings for pureed veg loaded with warm curry flavours and spice! Yuuuummmy!

My "beau-parents" (i.e. parents in-law...I much prefer the oh-so-pretty French term) were visiting us from Canada last week, and while they were here I was itching to make them a delicious savoury soup! It was my great attempt to show that plant-based eating can be totally delicious! And I truly think I was able to show them with this magnificent soup! My beau-parents have lots of foods sensitivities to things like nuts, seeds, berries and tree fruits, so it was important to be mindful of this when making meals. So, I opted for veggies they were familiar to buying back in Canada, which I knew would be good on their tummies. Broccoli and cauliflower are a common kitchen staple, and so I loaded up on these. I know what you might be thinking...."Broccoli and Cauliflower? That's SO boring!" Okay, I understand where you're coming from, BUT don't write off these veggies so quickly....because these carniferous veggies truly make the most magnificent soups!! I kid you not! So it wasn't just because of my beau-parents that I was keen to grab the beautiful 2 lbs cauliflower at the market, I literally wanted it for myself!

Let me tell you about my late discovery on how delicious cauliflower can be.. Back in the day I was a total skeptic. I used to think that it didn't get any more boring than sitting down to a pot of steamed cauliflower; and that the only way you could redeem this dish was to pile on the melty cheese! Boy was I mistaken. Today, Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables to use in soups! When roasted and blended it's FAR from a generic veg! Who wudda thunk!? In fact, I didnt even discover this until late into university, when we had a school potluck. My professor had brought cauliflower soup to share and I almost fell of my seat after tasting it! The plant-based soup was beyond creamy and thick, with beautiful caramel flavours and a peppery finish. I couldnt believe the main ingredient was cauliflower!! From that day on I made a vow to never judge cauliflower by it's, er...floret(?) again! It's a beautiful veg that can stand alone in a dish! I was officially a changed woman, one that used to pass by cauliflower without a second glance, to one who was bee-lining for it!

I knew if I created a cauliflower soup it would win 10 points with my beau-parents. So, come Sunday afternoon I got to lazily making this soup. Btw isn't the process of making soup so freakin awesome? You can be a total couch-potato and still make something so gourmet! I did exactly this that Sunday afternoon, lazily going to the kitchen every so often to toss in some more spice. Then, heading back to the couch for a little QT with the beau-parents. In a nutshell, I started by roasting the cauliflower and garlic in a red curry mixture. I sautéed some onions and carrots, covered the saucepan with a lid and let them sweat it out. When the cauliflower and garlic were roasted I added them to the pan with some vegetable stock, and brought it to a simmer. Every so often I would taste, add more spice, salt and pepper, and finally tossed in some lentils for a protein boost. Once pureed I was left with a thick and rich golden soup worthy of a medal that resembled it's glorious colour! It was SO GOOD, and adored by all!

I hope you enjoy this Curried Cauliflower Soup as much we did. It's so perfect for the changing weather, and is bound to please everyones taste! I highly recommend you try serving it to any plant-based skeptics, or anyone for that matter who think cauliflower is a boring old staple. And remember: don't judge a cauliflower by it's floret. There's no denying this cruciferous veg knows what's good.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Serves: 6| Prep Time: 20 mins| Cook Time: 60-75 mins

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower (approx. 2 lbs)
grape seed oil
2 tsp red curry paste
3 garlic cloves
1 white onion
2 large carrots
2 cubes vegetable stock
3L filtered water, plus more if desired
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp more red curry paste
3/4 cup red lentils
generous pinch of salt
pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Wash and chop your cauliflower into bite sized heads. Place in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil to lightly cover. Add 2 tbsp red curry paste.
Chop two garlic cloves and place on a piece of tinfoil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap the tinfoil around the garlic to cover completely.
Place the curried cauliflower and garlic on a roasting pan. Spread out the cauliflower to lie flat on the roasting pan and place in the oven to roast. Roast cauliflower for 40-45 minutes, or until roasted. Remove cauliflower on occasion, give it a stir, and place back in the oven. For the garlic, roast for 10-15 minutes.
While you're waiting for your garlic and cauliflower to roast, sauté your onions and carrot. Chop your onion and add to a large saucepan. Drizzle with grape seed oil and cook on medium heat until onion becomes transparent in colour. Chop your carrot and add to the saucepan. Then, cover with a lid and let the vegetables sweat for 10-15 minutes.
When the cauliflower and roasted garlic are roasted add them to the saucepan. Add 2 cubes vegetable stock, 3L filtered water, turmeric, paprika, and 1/2 more red curry paste. Mix well. Then toss in your red lentils and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with lid and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Transfer the soup into your blender, in small batches and blend until smooth. Transfer pureed soup into a new large saucepan and continue pureeing the remaining chunky soup in batches. Keep soup warm on low heat until ready to serve. Add splashes of water if desired to reach preferred thickness.