chilli and ginger sweet potato soup

the weather in london has turned wet and grey and i’m starting to think about more warming food, particularly for lunches. this soup is very filling (lots of potatoes in it) and, despite the large number of chillis in it, has only a mild kick.

lightly cooking extra chillies and ginger to be added at the end is something i often do with dal as it adds an extra layer of fresh flavours (i often add diced tomatoes too). this works really well with this soup.

chilli and ginger sweet potato soup (serves 6)

25g butter

1 large onion, diced

4 green chillis

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4” ginger, peeled

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teapsoon coriander powder

1 litre vegetable stock

500g potatoes, peeled and diced

500g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

200ml coconut milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

zest and juice of 1 lime

melt the butter and fry the onions until they begin to soften. finely chop the garlic, 2 chillies and half the ginger (or blitz it together in a mini food-processor) and add to the onions. add the spices, stir and cook for a few minutes.

add the chopped potatoes and stock and bring to the boil. simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked (it takes around 10 minutes if you dice the potatoes into 2cm pieces). leave the soup to cool and then blend until smooth.

return the blended soup to the pan and reheat, adding the coconut milk. meanwhile finely chop the remaining ginger and chillies and fry briefly in the oil (30 seconds). before serving add the ginger and chilli mix, lime zest and lime juice to the soup. season to taste.