This coconut carrot ginger soup is one of our fall/winter favorites as it contains some cold-weather staple flavors, including a curried pumpkin seed and jumbo focaccia crouton topping.
I love soup. Summer or winter, gazpacho or hearty stew, to me there’s nothing better than a bowl of soup. And while I do love all those cold summer soups, the fall and winter months are really when soup takes center stage. There’s really nothing better than a steaming bowl of soup on a cold or dreary day, especially if you’re feeling a little under the weather. A few weeks ago there was a little cold going around our household. My niece Scarlet got it first, and as a two-and-a-half year old who touches everything and puts any object in her mouth, the rest of us knew that we weren’t far behind to get sick. So my brother whipped up this coconut carrot ginger soup, and with its huge punch of spicy and anti-bacterial ginger, we all felt better almost immediately.
TOPPINGS FOR SOUP
This coconut carrot ginger soup really does hit all the flavor marks, if you ask me. It’s slightly sweet from the carrots, spicy in that specific way that you can only achieve with ginger, savory from a kick of onion, and of course ultra creamy from lots of coconut milk. And while this soup alone absolutely constitutes a full meal for me, I know that not everybody is going to get full off of a bowl of soup. That’s why we topped it with a few perfectly paired toppings.
In order to make this bowl a little more filling, we chose to top this coconut carrot ginger soup with some jumbo focaccia croutons. We made them jumbo because they’re just more fun that way, and they actually don’t get as soggy when sitting in the soup as the smaller ones do. Focaccia is the perfect bread to use for these croutons because it’s usually topped with fresh herbs, which compliment the other flavors in the dish. We bought our focaccia from a local grocery store that makes really great bread, but if you wanted to you could make your own using my stinging nettle focaccia recipe, or even try another bread like my garlic and rosemary polenta bread.
And then, just to add a little more crunch and cold-weather spice to this dish, we also topped our soup with some curried toasted pumpkin seeds. This soup already has a fall, pumpkin-y vibe to it, and a topping of pumpkins seeds (also called pepitas) just really drives home those flavors. And we couldn’t help but add some curry powder when toasting them, as coconut milk and curry go really really well together.
A ‘SET IT AND FORGET IT’ MEAL
While soup does usually take a little bit of time to make, one of the things I love about it is that it’s kind of a “set it and forget it” type meal. Much like the slow braised beef stew that I posted a few weeks ago, this coconut carrot ginger soup might not be the fastest meal, but it really couldn’t be easier. Simply cook the carrots with a few other aromatics in some veggie stock until soft, then blend with that creamy and slightly sweet coconut milk. Top with the jumbo croutons and curried pumpkin seeds and you’re set with a hearty bowl full of cold weather flavors and sure to cure any fall or winter-time cold.
Coconut Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 3 inch knob of ginger, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 16oz cans coconut milk
- olive oil, salt and pepper
For the toppings
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- 1/2 tsp curry poweder
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 loaf focaccia bread
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a large pot over medium high heat, bring vegetable stock, carrots, ginger and onion to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
- While the carrots cook, make your toppings. In a small bowl combine pumpkin seeds/pepitas with butter, curry powder and salt. Heat a small skillet (preferably cast iron) and toast the seeds until slightly browned and fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they can burn quickly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make your focaccia croutons. Cut focaccia into 1 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
- Once carrots are softened, remove the soup from the heat. Add one can of the coconut milk and stir to combine. Allow the soup to cool slightly. Then careful ladle it into the blender (working in batches and not filling the blender more than halfway) and blend until completely smooth. Once blended, return the soup to the pot.
- Put the soup over low heat. Add the second can of coconut milk and stir to combine. Taste, and season the soup with salt and pepper as needed.
- Top the soup with toasted curried pumpkin seeds and focaccia croutons and serve.
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