Carrot and Coriander Soup

Carrot and Coriander Soup

It is not easy making the children eat vegetables. I have to resort to hiding them in soups and for that European-style soups where normally everything is mashed up serve the purpose.

I was invited to lunch at a Singaporean girl's place the other day and she made this carrot soup that was very nice. There was a slightly acidic bite to it which had been achieved with the use of orange juice and red wine vinegar and once home I decided to make my own version which has since become very popular with the family. I like my soup rather spicy so omit the dried chilli if you do not like yours so.

Carrot and Coriander Soup :

500g carrots

500g potatoes

1 medium onion

olive oil

2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 dried chilli

a bunch of fresh coriander leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1,5l water

0,5l orange juice

red wine vinegar to taste

Peel carrots, potatoes and onion and chop them roughly into pieces.

Heat some olive oil in a big soup pot and fry the onions and cumin seeds till fragrant. Add the potatoes followed by the carrots and coat them with the oil.

Crush the dried chilli and add to the vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in the fresh coriander.

I like to start out by covering the vegetables with 2 glasses of hot water. Once everything starts to boil, pour in the rest of the water (room temperature), cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for at least 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before serving, pour in the orange juice. Simmer.

Mix everything with a hand mixer till smooth. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning (e.g. salt and pepper), add red wine vinegar to taste. Serve hot with some cream and a few slices of crusty bread.