I cook so many complex recipes that sometimes it’s nice to put together a simple dish. A dish with less than ten ingredients (even including the basics like olive oil, salt, and pepper!). This curried carrot soup builds on the natural sweetness of carrots, enhanced by oven roasting. The trick to the best flavor here is letting the carrots caramelize in the onion while caramelizing onions on the stove top. Using fresh curry powder is crucial (and freshly-ground homemade curry powder is ideal).
Curried Carrot Soup
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 lb carrots, chopped
- 5 – 6 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp + 2 tsp Madras curry powder
- 1 onion, diced
- 1″ piece ginger, minced
- 4 – 6 cups stock*
- salt and pepper, to taste
*Adjust based on desired consistency.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Toss 2 lb carrots, chopped and 5 – 6 cloves garlic, whole with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp Madras curry powder, then transfer to a baking dish and roast until soft and starting to caramelize (about 45 minutes), stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, then sautee 1 onion, diced until caramelized (you’ve got time while the carrots are roasting so get them nice and dark).
- Add 1″ piece ginger, minced and 2 tsp Madras curry powder, and sautee until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the roasted carrots and garlic as well as 4 – 6 cups stock. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender
to puree the soup until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper, to taste.
