Sunday 21 January 2018

Winter Vegetable Soup with a Difference



A glut of vegetables at this time of year equals soup to us, but to make it more interesting I delved into my hoard of 'eastern promises'.
Use whatever vegetables you have or fancy - I used 2 white potatoes, 1 sweet potato, and 1 large carrot - all of which I par cooked keeping back their cooking liquid to add to some vegetable bullion for stock. Whilst they were cooking I chopped 2 red onions and 3 shallots, crushed 3 cloves of garlic and then cooked them in a little rapeseed oil. Once they became translucent I added 1 chopped fresh green chili, some chopped red pepper, some freshly grated ginger root, and then topped it all off with 3 sticks of chopped celery. To this mix add a small teaspoon of turmeric, a generous grating of nutmeg, some ground black pepper, a small amount of crushed sea salt, a little chili powder, and the juice of 1 lime
Combine the root vegetables along with the stock to the onions and then add a 400g can of coconut milk. The thick creamed coconut tends to sit at the top of the can and it is best to spoon this out first letting it slowly melt and blend into the vegetables before finally adding the coconut liquid. All of this was then placed in my Slow cooker and left for several hours, but cook by whatever means you prefer

I wanted to keep some of the texture rather than making it completely smooth so before serving I used my potato crusher to gently reduce the large lumps of potato etc. 
Serve with chopped parsley and a spoonful of Crème Fraîche - suitable for vegetarians but omit Crème Fraîche for vegans.
The addition of the coconut milk, fresh root ginger, lime juice, fresh chilli and additional spices lifts the humble vegetable soup to another level.  

55 comments:

  1. That does look really nice and tasty. Snowdrops already!? In winter I usually make a large batch of homemade soup, up to 30 separate dinners at a time, then stick them in the freezer, in individual containers. I'm still using an old Molly Weir cookbook from the 1960s though so nothing fancy- Scotch Broth, Vegetable Soup, or Minestrone mainly.

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    1. I am a big fan of Minestrone soup too topped with freshly grated parmesan and a nice chunk of crusty bread.

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  2. Cute snowdrops to greet you. Looking at soup products, I think she would like me. It is certainly very nutritious. Regards.

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    1. It is very nutritious and tastes good too Giga - hope that you are making good progress.

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  3. Hello Rosemary, This is the most appetizing thing I have seen in a while--lately I have been depending on instant-type meals which aren't very complex and don't require much preparation. I would probably eat it more as a stew, not mashing it at all (that photo with all the bright vegetables still intact looks so good) but I'm sure that either way would be delicious.
    --Jim

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    1. Hello Jim - making a large pot of soup like this is something that I like doing because I can then forget about meals for at least three or four days. Recently I have been cooking a large batch of good quality sausages in a variety of different flavours, which I allow to cool, put into the fridge, and then cut up into chunks that I then add to the soup to make it more of a meal.

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  4. It looks delicious Rosemary. This combination is not something I would have ever thought of. :-) All those combined flavors sound wonderful together.

    I tend to make what I call knife and fork soups. Which have either big pieces of beef or chicken with lots of different kinds of fresh vegetables. They are hearty meal soups, good with fresh crusty bread & butter.

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    1. Hope you will give it a try Catherine and particularly if you enjoy Thai flavours.

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  5. Looks and sounds delicious, definitely soup weather.

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    1. Give it a try - do you still have the cold weather?

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    1. It is surprising how just a few different ingredients can give vegetable soup a completely different flavour.

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  7. Wonderful, you have already snowdrops in a vase. Here they just start flowering in the garden, but this morning's photos of them were too bad to show.
    That vegetable soup is indeed different, but it sounds and looks very tasty, I should say delicious. By the way, you did not use your magnificent antique nutmeg grater for this soup I suppose, such a lovely treasure deserves more than a place in the kitchen.

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    1. In one part of the garden the snowdrops are fully out, but in another area they are still quite small.
      No I don't use my antique nutmeg grater but have a contemporary one for use in the kitchen.

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  8. oooh that looks gorgeous. I was only thinking recently that it's time I started making soup again, I think this will be top of my list :-)

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  9. Very similar to my 'veggie soup'. I agree that adding coconut milk really kicks it up a notch, and the turmeric, garlic and fresh ginger root are good health additions. Do you use your antique nutmeg grinder Rosemary - or keep it as a decorative item, just wondering? We love Thai food.
    Yesterday I made tomato/red pepper soup - today 'exotic mixed mushrooms' - tomorrow leek and potato that good old standby! Of course each soup batch is usually too much for one meal so my freezer is packed with 2-portion bags (take up less space than plastic boxes!) of good soups to be enjoyed on days when I won't be cooking, but perhaps outside searching for snowdrops and daffodils!!!!

    Stay warm - Mary x

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    1. I am using coconut milk quite regularly these days. On the medical programme they said that it has no bad cholesterol unlike butter, and better good cholesterol even than olive oil.
      I was surprised at just how far advanced some of my snowdrops are, but others in a different area of the garden are still quite small.
      The antique nutmeg grater is kept purely as a decorative item Mary, I would not be happy if I damaged it.

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  10. Dear Rosemary,
    your soup looks delicious! I have never cooked vegetable soup with coconut milk. My sister only eats vegan and loves vegetable soup. I guess if the creme fraiche were left out she would like it.
    Besides, thank you for the nice comment you left on my blog! You know, since I visited the Cotswolds this year, I am not only in love with brick buildings, but also with Cotswolds stone. In general, it is such a lovely area. All the houses fit so lovely into the landscape. Our tour guide told us about Cotswolds stone and that people must use this kind of stone if they build a house in the Cotswolds area. Must be lovely to live in such a beautiful area!
    Best wishes,
    Lisa

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    1. Dear Lisa - I didn't realise that you had been in the Cotswolds last summer.
      This soup would be very good for your sister as it has lots of nutritious things in it and is also delicious. If she likes Thai flavours then I am sure that she would enjoy it.

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    1. The Thai flavours are what makes it taste so good.

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  12. This looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing. Px

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    1. Thanks for visiting P - hope you give it a try.

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  13. Sounds yummy and that turmeric with coconut milk and black pepper will do wonders for aching joints.

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    1. Turmeric seems to have quite a few properties that are good for you according to the Chinese.

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  14. That soup does look tasty, I know it's tasty because I make near enough the same recipe :)

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  15. This soup sounds, and looks, delicious. I make a butternut squash soup with coconut milk, but the mixture of vegetables you've suggested sounds even better, along with the chili and spices. I like to make a big pot of soup on the weekend for a quick meal during the week, and leftovers are good in individual containers for my school lunches.
    Yesterday's soup was cream of broccoli, tasty with some blue cheese crumbled on top.
    Lovely snowdrops. Mine are just behind yours; still tight buds.

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    1. For me, coconut milk is the new 'go to' for many dishes. The TV medical programme stated that it has no bad cholesterol unlike butter, and more good cholesterol than olive oil.

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  16. Some exotic flavours in your vegetable soup, Rosemary. Certainly looks appetising. I may give it a try in about six month's time!
    Snow drops are so dainty in your part of the world. Beautiful image.

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    1. I love these little harbingers of Spring, they lift the spirits.

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  17. That soup looks and sounds delicious and may even be good in this hot and muggy weather.

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    1. I think it would be alright in your muggy weather if you ate it at a tepid temperature - it as such a lovely fresh flavour.

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    2. Yes, the spices and coconut milk. I use a lot of coconut these days - the oil for frying and the flour as well as coconut cream and milk. Forgot to say I love the snowdrops.

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  18. Coconut milk is SO good and this soup must be absolutely delicious and very warming on a cold day !

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    1. Give it a try Jane - if you like Thai flavours then I am sure that you would enjoy it.

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  19. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
    This soup looks delicious. I have to admit that I rarely cook soups of any kind but they are wonderful for winter.

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  20. This looks and sounds delicious, Rosemary. Somehow I lost track of my slow cooker when I made the long distance move from New Jersey to North Carolina, so now I think it's time to get another one.
    We've had a particularly cold and unusual winter so far down here and this soup would fit the bill perfectly.

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    1. The winter weather appears to have even stretched as far as Florida this year which is very unusal.
      You would wonder how your removal men could have lost your slow cooker as they are not exactly small. I sometimes think that they depart with items hidden beneath blankets and sacking in their van that they do not bother to check on. In my last move I ended up with someone elses mirror, but by the time I found it in a box months later it was too long to do anything about it.

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  21. Perfect for these winter days! Thanks!

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  22. Dearest Rosemary,
    That indeed is a delicious vegetarian meal in itself and I love the blend of veggies with the spices and creamed coconut makes it perfect! Yes, I also love to prepare large pots of soup for saving some cooking time on other days.
    Saved this recipe on my Pinterest!
    Hugs and as I see, you already are enjoying your Galanthus!
    Mariette

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    1. Dear Mariette - this soup is very nourishing and full of flavour, hope that you try it and enjoy♡

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  23. Dear Rosemary, My eye always wanders to flowers. Your soup looks very delicious. I have taken a few notes. Your little snowdrop arrangement is also delicious.

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  24. That looks another wonderful recipe! I was also interested about the health benefits of coconut milk. Sarah x

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