Dear readers (or, more accurately at this point, reader),
I apologize for the long gap between posts. Not that excuses make a difference, but an unexpectedly early deadline on another project and back-to-back viral illnesses affecting the family forced me to abandon my posting (yes, that was an attempt at punning) without warning. I hope, however, that the following recipe convinces you to forgive me and to continue to stick with this blog. (Did I mention how sorry I am, blog reader(s), for ignoring you?).
Today, I offer you my mom’s recipe for coconut carrot soup. Her latest creation has won over Karthik’s demanding taste buds, and I expect that it will soon become your favorite soup, too. My photos may not be that impressive (hence carrot abstract 1 and the like), but that’s because the soup is sooo delicious that we drank most of it before remembering to take photographs. And when I finally did try styling the last leftover bowl…well, my mouth watered so much, I just had to grab a spoon and dig in.
This soup is that good. When we make it again, I’ll take some more pictures; until then, in the interest of getting this recipe to you quickly, I’m using what photos I do I have.
Like the caraway herb soup I posted previously, this recipe builds on a base of carrots and onions, and spices such as paprika and caraway help build a gentle heat. But instead of mint and parsley, this time the addition of traditional ingredients from South Indian cuisine—coconut milk, ginger, and cinnamon—add warmth and depth. The result: a rich, savory-sweet carrot soup with a gentle kick.
Some notes:
- Use full-fat coconut milk. Water it down yourself if you really want a lite version, but the flavor won’t be the same. Boxed coconut milk from the refrigerator aisle (or if you know how, homemade coconut milk) yields the best texture for this soup. But otherwise canned coconut milk is still perfectly acceptable.
- For a vegan/vegetarian version of this recipe, use vegetable broth. Otherwise, use the broth of your choice—I used chicken. And please (this time and always) do buy the low sodium version.
Coconut Carrot Soup
Notes
Variation: substitute in six heaping cups of freshly roasted pumpkin in place of the carrots to make this a pumpkin-coconut soup. Recipe for easy roasted pumpkin here.
Ingredients
- 3 lb carrots, roughly chopped (about nine cups)
- 2 large onions, roughly chopped
- ½ cup unroasted cashews
- 13-14 oz of coconut milk (equal to one can)
- 1.5 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 32 oz (4 cups) low-sodium broth of your choice
- 2 cups water
- 1.5 tsp caraway seeds
- 1.2 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- A little bit of oil (coconut if you have it)
Instructions
- Heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, ginger, caraway seed, and chili flakes, cook until onions start to become translucent.
- Add carrots, smoked paparika, chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, and cashew. Once warmed through, add the 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cook for twenty minutes, adding water as needed to keep the ingredients covered.
- After twenty minutes, add the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook another ten minutes. The carrots should be tender and fully cooked through.
- Puree in blender. If the soup seems thick, add warm water in ¼ cup increments until desired consistency is reached.