Simple spiced carrot soup recipe

Published May 2023 | 2 min read
Word by Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Infused with South Asian spices, this healthy carrot soup is a simple and tasty family meal for any night of the week.

This spiced carrot soup recipe is perfect for any time of year. You can serve it simply with a drizzle of extra coconut milk and some coriander, or make a tadka spice mix to use as a garnish.

In Hindi, tadka, which goes by many other names across South Asia, refers to a technique for tempering ingredients – usually spices or aromatics – in hot oil. It’s also the name for the infused oil itself. It’s often used on dal, but it is great on top of soups, too.

This recipe uses mustard seeds, shallots and green chilli, but you can vary it with other spices or use an onion instead of the shallots. When the spices bloom in the hot oil, they release flavour and add texture to the soup.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp coconut oil, vegetable oil or ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 shallots, roughly chopped
• 1kg carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 4cm piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ long green chilli, sliced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 750ml (3 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• 400ml can coconut cream
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 3 fresh curry leaf sprigs

Tadka

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, vegetable oil or ghee
• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 1 long green chilli, finely sliced
• Sea salt

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil or ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant, then stir in the shallot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the carrot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, chilli and garam masala and cook, stirring frequently to stop the garlic burning, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic and ginger are fragrant.
3. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the carrot is tender. Pour in most of the coconut cream, reserving 2 tablespoons to serve, and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to a blender or use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Season to taste. Return the soup to the pan if you’ve used a blender.
5. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee in a large frying pan over medium to high heat. When very hot, fry the curry leaves for about 30 seconds, until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon.
6. For the tadka, add the oil or ghee to the hot oil already in the pan. Wait for the oil or ghee to heat up again, then add the mustard seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, until they begin to pop. Add the shallot and chilli and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the shallot is soft and dark golden in colour. Season with salt.
7. Top the soup with an extra drizzle of coconut cream, some of the tadka and a few fried curry leaves.

This is an edited extract from Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Pan Macmillan, photography by Armelle Habib.

Carrots: a vitamin C boost

Soups are an easy, filling way to use up leftover vegies that are in the fridge drawer or have seen better days. The vitamin C in carrots helps your body build antibodies that defend your immune system. Adding spices helps to enhance the flavour and colour of your food, and can also help protect from acute and chronic diseases, according to research.

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