Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup


I tasted this soup for the first time at Three Stone Hearth in Berkeley, California and found it divine! An avid soup avoider most of my life, I enthusiastically embraced my newfound love and immediately scoured the internet to find a recipe. After combining a few, this is what I came up with:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
1 tablespoon lemon thyme
1 pint vegetable stock
1 pint coconut cream or milk
2 limes, juice and zest

Heat oil in a large saucepan and gently saute the onion, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the sweet potatoes and lemon thyme and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Cool the soup slightly, then liquify with half of the coconut cream and process until smooth.

Return the soup to the saucepan, add the remaining coconut cream and season with lime juice, zest, salt and pepper.

Add a dollop of sour cream, greek yogurt, cilantro, lime zest or parsley to garnish.