This soup looks really dull, but it tastes fantastic. The combination of sweet potato, creamy coconut milk and zippy ginger is a delight, and perfect on a cold winter day.
I came up with the notion whilst clearing out some cupboards. I had a can of coconut milk that had until midnight before it hit the “best before” date and some crackers that were about to suffer the same fate. I thought that instead of serving my sweet potatoes with chilli for dinner I could whip them into action for a lunchtime soup, and make some beer bread buns to have later with the chilli.
The bottom of the refrigerator was harboring some onions that got thrown in too, along with a thumb of ginger.
Enough of this, to the recipe …
- Prep time:
- Cook time:
- Ready in:
- Yields: Serves four hungry people
Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb sweet potato (about two)
- 2 onions
- 1 thumb fresh ginger*
- 1 can (14oz) coconut milk
- 2 cans water
- fresh ground pepper and chilli flakes
* You can use a teaspoon of ground ginger instead
Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan
- Chop the onion and add to the pan
- Grate the ginger (or finely chop it) and throw it in
- Stir to prevent sticking as you sweat them off
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1/2″ cubes, add them to the onions
- Sweat the vegetables gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add the can of coconut milk, then use the can to measure two cans of water to add to the soup
- Cover and simmer for about twenty minutes
- Poke the sweet potatoes to see if they are cooked through, if not, simmer some more
- If your potatoes are squishable then take the soup of the heat and zap it with a stick blender to liquidize. You can pour it into a liquidizer, but I find the stabmixer much easier and safer
- Check the texture of your soup. If it’s too gloopy add some more water, if it’s too wet then simmer it off uncovered
- Grind in black pepper and chilli flakes to taste
I served mine with almost expired crackers, which added some texture, crusty bread would work just as well, as would cheesy beer bread.
