sweet potato curry soup

Soup is as old as the hills and every cook has at least one or two recipes they return to. I, too, have my favourites. Having lived in Asia, my cooking experiences with spices before then were very blah. I had never seen a black pepper plant, ginger/galangal, turmeric, nutmeg, mace, clove etc. My senses were awakened and I was eager to learn all I could.

I became a ‘spice girl’ in Singapore and did spice garden tours for people, like me, who wanted to learn more about spices. The tour would last 30-45 minutes (depending on the questions) then I would escort the participants to the cooking class where they would use the spices I had previously spoken about. One of my first classes was a curry one. My sweet potato curry soup brings back spice memories of what seems like a lifetime ago.

Most soups begin with onions and garlic, broth. From here add vegetables and protein. Sweet potato adds a lovely flavour to a soup and has health benefits. You can’t mess up a soup…it’s one of the most forgiving dishes one can make.

you will need

a good splash of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 lbs (700g) sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch chunks
14 oz. (400ml) coconut milk
1-liter vegetable stock
juice of 1 lime
handful of cilantro, chopped (can also used fresh mint)
feta cheese, crumbled

method

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder. Stir until fragrant. Add sweet potatoes. Stir until coated with spices then pour in the stock. Increase heat and allow soup to come to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender. Blend until the soup is smooth. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice.  If the soup is too thick, add more stock.

Serve in bowls. Add crumbled feta cheese, drizzle with olive oil and top with cilantro.

the culinary chase’s note:

I used half of the vegetable stock and the other half with coconut water. Or you could omit the vegetable stock and use only coconut water. Enjoy!