Carrot and Ginger Soup

I realize I have been on a bit of a soup kick lately, but hey... soup is comfort food, I love chopping vegetables (don't judge, it's mean), and it lets me use the immersion blender I got for Christmas!  Tonight's culinary adventure in soup:  Carrot and Ginger Soup.

Mike and I visited my Auntie Theresa in 2011 and she made a lot of really awesome food for us.  No kidding, that lady can cook!  One of the meals had carrot ginger soup, and it was phenomenal.  I have been wanting to recreate that soup ever since.  This soup was excellent, but it wasn't that soup.  I did learn however, while gabbing to my sister about this great soup I was going to make, that she is in possession of a hand-written recipe for Auntie Theresa's soup!  She hasn't shared it yet, but I know where she lives, and I know where she keeps her recipes, so it won't be safe for long!

Anyways, back to the soup I made today.

This has some Indian spice, some Thai spice, and just some stuff I thought might taste good.  But you start with carrots.  Lots of carrots.  Two pounds of peeled and sliced carrots, to be exact.

And onions.  Because I always use onions.  Two medium onions, diced.

I melted some butter and added the spices for just a few minutes, until fragrant.

Then I put the carrots and onions into the spices, added some lime jest and fresh lime juice, and mixed it all together, letting it saute until the onions started to get soft, about 3 minutes or so.

Then the broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Then comes the fun part:  the immersion blender!  Blend to desired consistency, stir in the coconut milk and sriracha sauce (aka "rooster sauce"). 

Then eat!  Mike added a dollop of sour cream and some cayenne pepper to his for a bit more kick.  I think you could also add some pancetta or bacon crumbles, maybe some red thai curry paste, and other spices to change the flavor to your liking.  This is one of those recipes that is easily customizable.

 

Here is the recipe:

Carrot and Ginger Soup
Serves 6-8, takes about 45 minutes

3 Tbsp Butter
1 1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, peeled and minced
2 lbs Carrots, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds
2 medium Onions, diced
1 1/2 tsp Lime Peel, finely grated
1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Can Lite Coconut Milk
Sriracha Sauce, to taste

Heat butter in a heavy stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add coriander, mustard, and curry powder.  Stir for about 1 minute.  Add ginger and stir for another minute.  Add carrots, onions, lime peel and lime juice.  Saute until the onions began to soften and start to turn clear.  This should take about 3-4 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.  Using your immersion blender, blend until smooth.  If you do not have an immersion blender, let the soup cool slightly, and then working in batches, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth, then return to the soup pot.  Stir in the coconut milk until completely incorporated, and then the Sriracha Sauce. 

Enjoy!  If you make this and do any variations, please let me know what you added/changed... I always like to try new versions.