Today it’s cold here in Shetland. Not -40 Celsius, frost bite kind of cold, but the drizzly half rain/half slush windy gray of January. In truth, the weather has probably been like this for the last few months, but during that time we’ve had festive excitement, Christmas lights, family gatherings and the cheer of the season to warm us. But now that the festivities have passed and the holidays are nearly at their end, we’re entering the no-man’s-land of mid-winter, that time after Christmas, but long before the first thoughts of spring.
This kind of a cold winter’s day, clearly requires some warming, and as the warming festivities are behind us, I’m turning instead to carrot and ginger soup!
I love soup. For me, there is nothing better on a cold day (with the exception of cocoa which is most certainly boasts equally warming loveliness)than a hot bowl of soup with some fresh bread. This carrot and ginger soup is especially warming and magnificent because of it’s gentle, comforting flavour of sweet carrot with intrinsically warming ginger, creamy coconut milk and a hint of turmeric. The inviting colour alone is enough to fill you with heat.
Way beyond simply comforting and warm though,this soup also offers powerful immune boosting benefits, a definite advantage at this time of year. When it comes to boosting immunity, carrots are a truly powerful food. They are loaded with vitamin A, crucial for the maintenance of the the membranes that act as barriers against incoming germs, vitamin C, synonymous with its germ busting powers, along with B and E vitamins and an array of beneficial minerals. This paired with the antimicrobial wonder spices ginger, chilli and turmeric, mean that this soup a bit of an unassuming hero.
So if, like me, you find yourself hunkered under a heap of blankets bemoaning the January weather, whip up a pot of this delicious, healthful carrot and ginger soup. It’s sure to melt away the chilliest of winter chills!
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 1 lrg. Chilli (orange if possible), de-seeded and finely chopped
- 2” piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 Lrg carrots, finely chopped
- 400 mL or 1 3/4 cups of coconut milk
- 300 mL or 1 1/4 cups of vegetable stock
- Heat the oil a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the chilli and ginger and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the turmeric and continue cooking for a further 1 minute.
- Add the carrots, coconut milk and stock, lower the temperature to medium low, cover and allow to simmer about 30 minutes or until the carrots are very soft.
- Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Season to taste. Re-heat if necessary and serve hot with some bannocks or a big chunk of fresh bread.