I’ve been on a little bit of a curry kick lately, so I wanted to try a spin on one of my favourite vegetables – and this curried butternut soup seemed just like the thing. It has been on my list of recipes to conquer for a while now.
This recipe comes together in under 1 hour and requires simple ingredients. It is so easy – and you probably have all the spices in your pantry already! Isn’t that the best kind of recipe? It’s creamy (without the butter and the cream!), perfectly spiced, you can taste all the wonderful ingredients in every spoon – it’s simply soul warming, and darn delicious! And so perfect for this time of the year!
Besides for its taste, nutritionally it’s a winner too! Packed with fibre, antioxidants and vitamins such as beta carotene (the plant version of vitamin A) and vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and anti-inflammatory properties from the mix of spices!
Ingredients:
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1kg peeled and chopped butternut (equivalent to 1 medium sized butternut)
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500g peeled and chopped sweet potato (equivalent to 1 large sweet potato)
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1 medium sized carrot, peeled and chopped
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10g coarsely chopped coriander
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1 small onion, peeled and diced
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1 clove garlic, minced
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1 teaspoon fresh ginger, crushed
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60ml olive oil
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½ teaspoon cinnamon
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½-1 teaspoon curry powder (depends on your taste!)
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2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder
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½ teaspoon mustard seeds
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1 teaspoon xylitol
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Salt and pepper to taste
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Lite coconut milk (optional)
Recipe (Serves 6):
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Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Make sure to stir often!
6. Allow to cool and blend until smooth.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste, and lite coconut milk just before serving if desired.
The amazing thing with soups is that it’s very difficult to go wrong! Just add some vegetables, stock, a little spice here, a little spice there and there you have it!
My Tips:
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Variations: feel free to add other vegetables or flavours to the soup. Some ideas I would like to try out include: apple, peanuts or cashew nuts, turmeric, cumin, lemon juice, chilli, curry paste instead of curry powder, orange juice, paprika…. The list is endless!
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Sodium free version: instead of using stock cubes/powder, make your own vegetable stock at home (use onions, carrots and celery as your base) for a salt free soup! Or, you can find a low salt vegetable stock powder.
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Speed it up: the smaller you cut your butternut and sweet potato cubes, the faster it cooks. Grating the carrots is another good idea… Plus it’s a good workout for the arms!
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Left overs: this is a great batch cooking recipe. Prepare more than you need and freeze some for later. Or portion it out for work lunches during the week!
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Skip the bread: Remember, butternut and sweet potato form part of the starchy vegetable food group – so its probably best not to dunk that slice of ciabatta in the already ‘carby’ soup.
Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I packaged a few into plastic bags for work:
Have a great week!
Shani
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