Kumara Soup

This is a brilliant recipe from New Zealand! Kumara is a Maori word for sweet potato, which is what makes up the bulk of this soup. It liquidises beautifully to produce a very smooth, warming soup.

This will make enough for 3-4 medium bowls or up to 6 little dinky bowls.

You will need:

• 60g butter
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 500 g sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 3 cups whole milk (approximate – it’s up to you how thick you like it!)
• salt and pepper
• 4 tbsp coconut milk to garnish

How to make it:

1. Place your butter in a large saucepan and slowly melt on a low heat. When it’s melted, throw in the garlic, ginger and curry and stir for 2 minutes.
2. Next, place your finely chopped onions in and cook on gentle heat until they are cooked and slightly transparent.
3. Add the shopped sweet potatoes and stir well, coating them evenly. Cook for 2 minutes in the butter until they are tender (be careful they don’t start browning – you only need to do them for 2 minutes).
4. Now gently pour in your vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
5. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked (you should be able to stick a knife through easily), pour in about 1 cup of milk, remove from the heat and blend (easiest with a handheld blender). Once the soup is smooth, return to the heat and gradually add more milk until you reach your desired consistency. Stir very often to avoid a sweet potato-y build up on the bottom of the pan.
6. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until it is gently simmering, then ladle into bowls when ready to serve. Swirl a tablespoon of coconut milk into each bowl and sprinkle with some finely chopped coriander or parsley. Serve!