Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
Home Cooking

Soup and winter: two things that go hand in hand. I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago and it's now spring so I better publish it before the heat waves strike and everything I say becomes irrelevant.

Soup is one thing that makes the cold mornings, dry air and shorter daylight hours almost worth bearing. We had a couple of weeks in Toowoomba a while back that were close to the 0 degrees mark through the night and barely 10 at maximum. I know that would be mild for some but I'm a Brisbane girl and to me, that's slit-my-wrists cold. Maybe not that extreme but I sure as hell didn't feel like getting up for work in the mornings.

Soup makes everything better.


In light of my sweet potato stuff up (where I ordered 2kg instead of 2 individual sweet potatoes), I figured it would be a great idea to use some of those up. I had also just picked up my new food processor. Having tested it out on the corn and split pea soup, I knew it was perfect for blitzing solids into a soup-like consistency.

My sweet potato soup is extremely easy to make. I was inspired by this recipe but basically did my own thing so you'll find little ressemblance between the two recipes.

Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 3-4 sweet potoatoes (depending on size)
• onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp Thai style red curry paste
• 1 can (270ml) coconut milk
• salt
• coconut cream and fresh coriander, to garnish (optional)
• flatbread, to serve

Procedure:

1. Cook the sweet pototoes either by boiling till soft (and draining thoroughly) or in the microwave. I roasted mine on low heat (approximately 150-160 degrees Celsius) for a couple of hours, until cooked through.

2. Remove the skin and chop roughly. Set aside.
3. Fry the onion in a bit of vegetable oil on medium-high.

4. Add the curry paste and stir through until fragrant. Add the coconut milk. Let it simmer for on low heat for about 2 minutes for the flavor to infuse into the coconut milk.

5. Blend the coconut milk and sweet potato together until it forms a smooth consistency. If necessary, add some water or chicken stock to thin the mixture. Season to taste.
6. You can bring the mixture back to the boil on the stove to heat it up or package it away for future meals (simply reheat and eat).
7. Serve hot with a drizzle of coconut milk and some fresh coriander.

I ate mine with some homemade wholemeal chapati (recipe to come). It was the perfect combination. This to me is ultimate comfort food. Thick, creamy, a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Often, sugar of some description (palm sugar or brown sugar) is added to Thai curries to balance the flavors. Because coconut milk already has a sweetness to it, I didn't find this necessary.

Even as a sweet potato lover, I'm surprised at how good this turned out. I think you'll agree that the recipe was rediculously easy. Just cook the sweet potato, flavor the coconut milk and blend away. It's a super tasty combination though so I recommend you give it a go. I had a few boxes stored away as left overs and it's just as good reheated. Great for mid-week working lunches :).