Spiced Carrot and Coriander Soup

Today has been a soupy kind of day. No, a peasouper style fog did not descend upon Ely, there was no fog at, well at least not in the air. I’m not a natural early riser, I am usually a very good sleeper, however when I don’t get my minimum eight hours sleep I start to fade very early in the day. A 6.30am start this morning after a sleepless night is a special kind of hell for me. And to top it all off there is a serious lack of sunshine here lately. I don’t suffer from S.A.D. but I am definitely solar powered, the more the sun shines, the happier I am. So I need some comfort food today, and soup is my comfort food, especially when there is a chill in the air. And keeping it seasonal I have made a warming, comforting, spiced carrot and coriander soup.

Carrot and coriander soup is a lovely light, classic soup, but I need something a little more warming today so I have spiced it up a little. I have added some cumin, and a hint of smoked paprika to perk this soup up a bit but still keeping it light and fresh. I like my soups on the thicker side so if you prefer yours less so add a little more stock to get the consistency you like. I also like to add some toppings to my soups and keeping it healthy I add a dollop of natural yogurt, some sunflower seeds for crunch and a little pinch of chilli seeds for more heat. This spiced carrot and coriander soup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or you can freeze it for another time if you like. It’s best served with some nice crusty bread too.

There are a lot of soup recipes on this blog, it’s definitely one of my favourite things to make. I don’t know whether it’s the comforting smell of onions and garlic cooking or the actual soups themselves. Maybe it’s just warm comfort of food in a bowl with good crusty bread and butter that makes me happy, I don’t know. If you love a good soup, then I also have a free ebook of winter soups available for you to download if you subscribe. This will be changing soon so do get it before it goes. In the meantime you can find a full list of my soup recipes here.

Other soups featuring carrots that you may like are this Spicy Carrot & Parsnip Soup or this Roasted Carrot & Fennel Soup.

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Spiced Carrot & Coriander Soup

A spiced carrot and coriander soup perfect for lunch or a light supper.

Course Lunch

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 - 6

Author Michelle Alston

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 yellow onion , 160g, diced
• 1 stick of celery , diced
• 450 g / 1lb of carrots , peeled and sliced
• A large bunch of fresh coriander , stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1 medium potato , 100g, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 1 fat clove of garlic , minced
• 1 heaped tsp cumin
• 1 level tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 level tsp dried coriander
• 1 L / 4.23 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• A small pinch each of sea salt and cracked black pepper
• TOPPINGS
• Natural yogurt
• Sunflower seeds
• Coriander leaves
• Red chilli flakes
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the celery and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the garlic, dried coriander and spices, cook for about a minute.
3. Now add the carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper and stock, stir and leave to simmer for 20 - 25 minutes until the carrots and potato are cooked.
4. When the vegetables are cooked blitz the soup with a hand held blender.
5. Stir in the coriander then serve immediately with crusty bread.
6. I recommend adding the toppings, a dollop of yogurt, some sunflower seeds, a couple of coriander leaves and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.