This colourful and vibrant ginger and carrot soup is deliciously smooth and comforting but does have a bit of a kick. Don’t be tempted to omit the lemon herb cream topping… it lifts this soup into the luxury class. Serve with crusty wholemeal bread for a substantial starter or lunch dish. If freezing the soup do so without the topping.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 600g carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp medium curry powder
- 1.5 litres good vegetable stock
- pared rind of 1 lemon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon Herb Cream:
- 200g crème fraiche
- finely grated rind of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp snipped chives
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated, to garnish (optional)
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the carrots and onions and cook gently for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the stock, lemon strips and salt and pepper to taste. Half cover the pan with its lid, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are very tender.
- Cool slightly then puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pan, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary and reheat to serve.
- To make the topping, mix the crème fraiche with the lemon rind, parsley and chives.
- To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each with a spoonful of the prepared lemon herb cream. Garnish with a little grated carrot if liked.
Tip
If preferred top the soup with fried bread croutons but toss them in grated Parmesan cheese after cooking for a crunchy topping with attitude!
