Carrot and Coriander Soup

This spicy carrot and coriander soup packs a small punch with the addition of a chilli and adding a little more black pepper than you normally would. Add more or hotter chilli peppers to get a spicier flavour, or alternatively tone it down a bit if you’re not too keen on the heat.

Ingredients

450g carrots
1 large potato
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 red chilli pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 pints (1.2 litres) of vegetable stock
a handful of fresh coriander leaf (chopped)
a large pinch of ground black pepper
a pinch of salt
vegetable oil

Makes 4 servings

Method

1. Peel and chop the carrots and potato into small chunks. Finely chop and onion, garlic and chilli (keeping the seeds).

2. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, and stir until lightly browned. Then add the garlic and chilli – stir for around 1 minute.

3. Add the ground coriander, the potato and the carrots. Stir for 1 or 2 minutes on a medium heat until they soften but do not brown the vegetables off. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

4. Pour in the vegetable stock. Bring this to the boil and then reduce the heat to allow the soup to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

5. Stir in your fresh coriander leaf, add a little more black pepper to taste. Then blend the soup in a food processor until you have a soupy consistency. Return the soup to the pan to warm through again, then serve.

If you like your soup thicker, you could add another potato at the start of cooking. Or if you like it runnier, add more vegetable stock.