Carrot and Coriander Soup
Carrot and coriander soup is a fixture of the British cafe and supermarket chiller, so common it is almost a cliche, and almost always underseasoned and thin. Done properly it is one of the best cheap soups there is: carrots are sweet and pennies a pound, and coriander in two forms, the toasted seed and the fresh leaf, turns them into something that tastes considered. A diced potato blended in gives the body that makes it feel like a soup rather than pureed vegetables, no cream required. The two moves that matter are toasting the coriander seed before it goes in and finishing with enough lemon to wake it up. It freezes well, so make the full pot.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Carrots, chopped
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 1 medium Potatoes, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp Ginger, grated
- 2 tsp Coriander seed
- 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped, stems and leaves separated
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion in a few tablespoons of water over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. With no oil, the onion softens and sweetens in its own moisture; keep a splash of water handy to stop it catching.
- Toast the coriander seed in a dry pan until it smells nutty, about a minute, then crush it and add it with the garlic, ginger, and chopped cilantro stems. Toasting and grinding the seed fresh is what makes this soup taste of coriander rather than just of carrots; the stems carry more flavor than the leaves and belong in the base.
- Add the carrots, potato, 4 cups (1 L) water, and the bouillon. Simmer until everything is fork-soft, about 20 minutes. The potato is doing double duty as vegetable and thickener.
- Blend until completely smooth. The potato gives the soup a velvet body with no cream, oil, or dairy; a full blend is what turns rough vegetables into something silky.
- Stir in the lemon juice and the cilantro leaves off the heat, then grind over black pepper. Acid at the end lifts the carrots' sweetness and does the job salt would, and the fresh leaves keep their brightness only if added last.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 120 calories, 4 g protein, 6 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
