Vegetarian mains
Cauliflower, squash and coconut soup
This is a thick, velvety soup, warmly spiced with cardamon, star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg. It makes a wonderfully reviving lunch or dinner on a chilly day with some crusty bread to go alongside. You can also make it with pumpkin in place of squash.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion (or leek), chopped
- 1 small to medium cauliflower, cut into florets and stalks, chopped, including any inner light green leaves
- 1 small, about 700g, squash
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cardamom pods, lightly bashed with the flat of your knife
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- a little nutmeg, grated
- 400ml tin of coconut milk
- 800ml veg stock, plus a little extra
- 1 lime
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
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Step 2
Add the cauliflower, squash and garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
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Step 3
Add the cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut milk and stock and season with salt and pepper.
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Step 4
Bring up to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are soft.
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Step 5
Fish out the spices with a slotted spoon. Blitz the soup until smooth. Gently reheat, adding a little more stock if needed to thin the soup to your desired consistency. Check the seasoning and add a good squeeze of lime juice to taste.
