Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup

Hannah Sunderani
Jan 29, 2018
4 min read

Hey guys! Here is a delicious Spiced Coconut Carrot soup to start out the week.

It's that time of year when the buzz of the New Year is starting to wear off, and Spring is still a tad too far to look forward to. And so, we sort of just feel, "...blah." Do you know what I mean? Over here in Lille the days are short and painted thick with clouds, it feels like weeks since I've seen a blue sky! And my goodness can weather be hard to shake! My head feels like a heavy sea every morning as I try to get out of bed to a still sleeping sun. It takes twice as long (and twice as much caffeine) for my body to feel like it's awake for the day! And I know in Canada the weather isn't much better. My friends are still braving the cold in thick coats, knee high boots and wooly scarves just to get from the front door to the car parked on their driveway.

And to avoid the $3,000 air fare to Australia, I think we simply need a warm, vibrant and hearty soup to say, "keep calm and carry on!" This Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup does exactly that. It's a glowing bowl, rich with curry spices and creamy coconut to remind us that we can always find a little warmth throughout our day, no matter the weather!

And this soup helps us forget that crummy weather in every which way. It uses ingredients that we probably already have in our fridge and pantry. To use up old veg, so we don't have to whether the weather to the drizzly market for some new produce. This is actually one of my favourite things about making soup; that we can use forgotten veg that are past their prime, and with little effort make them into a delightful dish for sharing. Not to mention, the plentiful gratitude received when putting a warm bowl of soup in front of your loved ones is like none other. There's a reason we feel a sense of nostalgia when we see those Campbell's soup commercials of kids waiting for a warm bowl of chicken noodle. Soup is the definition of love and comfort in a bowl. And the level of appreciation for a hearty bowl of soup is as honest as it gets. Serve it with a fresh baguette you're the hero of the day.

This simple yet flavourful soup combines carrots and sweet potato with curry power, coriander, chili powder and coconut milk. The recipe was inspired by that of Bon Appetit, and with a few minor tweaks I made it just to my liking. Just a few simple ingredients took me from subdued to satiated in seconds.

Because really, there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of curried soup to give us the momentum to push through to spring. So go ahead and give yourself a little self love and guidance with this beautiful bright bowl of Spiced Coconut and Carrot soup. Because we're going to get through this gloomy weather! A little sunnier, in fact, than we'd expected.

Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup

Serves: 4| Prep Time: 20 mins| Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

4 garlic cloves
2 onions
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 lbs (approx. 4 1/2 cups) carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
pinch sea salt
3 cups water
1 inch fresh ginger (approx. 1 tsp grated)
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp coriander, ground
1/2 tsp chili powder
200ml coconut milk, I used Ecomil Coconut Milk
the juice of 1 lemon

For topping:

thinly sliced carrots
chili flakes
cilantro

Directions:

Dice onions and garlic, and add to a large pot with coconut oil. Bring pot to medium-low heat, and cook veg stirring occasionally for approx. 10 minutes, or until onion turns translucent.
Peel and cut carrots and sweet potato into roughly chopped chunks, and add to the pot. Add a pinch of salt. Cover pot with lid and let the vegetables sweat, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly softened.
Add water to the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Peel ginger and grate, add grated ginger to pot. Then add curry powder, coriander, and chili powder. Season with sea salt and pepper and simmer soup on low heat for 20 minutes, or until veg is very soft.
Puree soup using a hand mixer, or a blender, until completely smooth.
Stir in coconut cream, and add more spices, salt and pepper if desired. Optional to add more water if needed for desired texture.
Transfer soup to bowls, top with sliced carrots, chili flakes and cilantro.