Thai Inspired Sweet Potato + Carrot Soup

If you order vegetable boxes, you know that at this time of the year there’s just so many carrots and sweet potatoes and I’m trying to find different ways of using the same things. Soup has been on my mind of a while and given that both sweet potatoes and carrots are sweet vegetables, I wanted to find a way to bring some oomph to the bowl. I wanted something deep and warming with comfort. And what embodies all that better than Thai flavours? This recipe calls for you to roast the vegetables as you begin to prepare the base. Roasting brings out an extra smoky-nuttiness that I love and would highly recommend. We use a bunch of aromatics like chilli, lemongrass and ginger to steep in the soup as it cooks to bring out that depth of flavour. And finally, I like to top it up with a nutritious combo of toasted crushed peanuts + sesame seeds, but you can choose your own adventure.

In short, one idea lead to another and finally to this, and I’m pleased to report that this is what I was picturing in my mind.

Ingredients

For the roast vegetables

  • 1/2 medium or 1 small sweet potato, diced

  • 4-5 medium carrots, diced

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • Salt to taste

For the base

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 kafir lime leaves

  • 1 stick cinnamon

  • 1 medium white onion, chopped finely

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

  • 750ml chicken stock

  • 250ml coconut milk

  • 1 Thai red chilli

  • 1 stick lemongrass

  • 2 knobs of ginger, smashed

For the toppings (optional)

  • Cream

  • Toasted crushed peanuts

  • Toasted sesame seeds

  • Lemon wedges

Method of Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  2. Toss the sweet potato and carrots in olive oil and salt. Roast for 30 minutes.

  3. To a pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. As it warms, add the kafir lime leaves and cinnamon. Once fragrant, add the chopped onions. As it begins to soften, add the minced garlic and a pinch of salt. As it gets melt-y, add the red curry paste and mix to incorporate. Add the roasted vegetables + stock of choice + coconut milk + red chilli + lemongrass + smashed ginger. Once the pot begins to gently boil, reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes. The longer you leave it, the deeper the flavours will be.

  4. Remove the aromatics, and gently blend to soup. You can use an immersion blender, or a food processor (bearing in mind that it needs to cool down to use the food processor, and you may have to work in batches).

  5. Serve warm with toppings of your choice.