Spicy Parsnip and Carrot Soup

More creamy, thick soup!

I really enjoyed the Spicy Parsnip Soup that I made the other day, so I revisited the recipe again.  The basic ingredients reminded the same, I just made small modifications and added in a few more components to jazz things up!

Instead of using regular milk, I substituted in coconut milk — it worked really well with the curry powder and added a nice tropical flavour to the soup.

I also reduced the amount of curry powder and added in a small pinch of ground cumin; this toned down the spiciness and highlighted the sweet flavour even more.

Another small modification that I made was to use shallots instead of onion (It was simply because the onions that I had at home were enormous and so it was much less hassle to add in shallot instead).

Last but not least, I added in a half cup of carrot chunks. This became the star ingredient in this soup. The carrot infused another dimension of sweetness into the soup and gave the soup a very appetizing bright orange colour.

The soup turned out more delicious than I expected. With the added ingredients, the soup’s flavour became more complex and achieved a really nice balanced between sweet and spicy. I enjoyed every sip of it!

Spicy Parsnip and Carrot Soup

Inspired by  Jamie Oliver’s Spicy Parsnip Soup

What you’ll need:

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• A small knob of ginger, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• A pinch of curry powder
• A pinch of ground cumin
• 2 small parsnips (about 1/2lb), chopped into medium-sized chunks
• 1 small carrot (about 1/2 cup), chopped into medium-sized chunks
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 – 1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you want to keep this vegetarian)
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Splash of lemon juice, optional
• Heavy cream, optional

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in pan. Sauté shallot on medium heat until shallot is soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in curry powder and cumin, add in garlic and ginger, heat until fragrant, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in carrot chunks and parsnip chunks, give a few good stirs to make sure the chunks get coated with oil.
• Pour in coconut milk and stock, until liquid just barely covers the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with lid on until vegetables becomes tender, about 20 – 30 minutes.
• When vegetables are tender enough, pour contents into a blender and blend until you get a silky, smooth consistency.
• You can serve immediately or pour into a container, let it cool and store in refrigerator.
• Add in lemon juice, heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste (I didn’t add in any, and the soup was still amazing delicious). Makes 2 servings.

Enjoy!