Carrot and Coriander Soup

Carrot and Coriander soup is one of my favorites and can be made in around 25 minutes. This is 10 times better than anything heinz can make so step away from the tins aisle and get ready to make some awesome soup!

Personally I love the thai flavours of coconut and coriander, although I know these are two ingredients that a lot of people have issue with! I like to add a tin of coconut milk to my soup to add some richness and because it's delicious.

Most of the ingredients I used I already had in my cupboards so it's not too difficult to buy for.

It's generally a good idea to sweat root vegetables before stewing them as the heat brings out the natural sweetness.

The coriander stalks are usually something that you have to throw away as they're a little too bitter to be eaten on their own. However in a soup they are ideal. I tend to cut them off from the bunch anyway so none are used in the garnish.

As I mentioned in my Broccoli and Stilton post, the penultimate stage of soup making is always when it looks the most dodgy. Don't worry though, you're one step away from a beautiful dish!

RECIPE
Serves 8 as a starter or 6 as a main

Ingredients:
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 chopped onion
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 can of coconut milk
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped chili
1 bunch of coriander
500g of chopped carrots
A splash of soy sauce
Cream and bread to serve

Method:
In a large saucepan briefly saute the onions, garlic, ginger and chili.
Add in the carrots, season, and cover with a saucepan lid. Sweat the vegetables for around 10 minutes on a low heat.
Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until you can slice a carrot with a butter knife.
Tip in the coconut milk and stir.
Cut the stalks off the coriander and retain a small bunch of the leaves for the garnish. Chop this smaller bunch quite finely.
Add in the remaining coriander and blitz until the soup is smooth.
Take a teaspoon of the cream and drizzle it over each bowl before scattering a few leaves of coriander.
Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!

If you are freezing some soup for lazy days make sure the soup is completely cool before putting it in the freezer. I tend to leave mine out for an hour or two.

How did you get on with this soup? Let me know!