Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk

The other day I bought an enormous cauliflower from Patricia and Cedrick (@lafermeduvallon) which was big enough to make a cauliflower cheese and this delicious soup.

The recipe is inspired by @abeautifulplate, rather than using Thai chili paste I used mild curry paste. The soup is lovely and creamy in texture and the roasted cauliflower adds a lovely depth.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1.5-2 tsp. of Patak’s mild curry paste (or other brand)

1 litre of vegetable broth

175ml of coconut milk

3 tbs. of extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable stock if making soup oil free)

¾ tsp. of turmeric powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh coriander to garnish

Note: If you want to make this recipe oil free you can replace the oil for vegetable broth or water wherever it’s mentioned.

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C if a fan oven)

2. In a large bowl add ½ tsp. of the turmeric powder, a generous grind of pepper and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Mix well so all the ingredients are combined. Wash the cauliflower and cut into bite size florets. Put it in the bowl and toss well to ensure the cauliflower is coated with the seasoning.

3. Line a large roasting dish with greaseproof paper and arrange the cauliflower on top, ensuring that the florets are evenly spread out in a single layer. Put the dish in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Toss the cauliflower midway through the cooking time to ensure it is cooked evenly.

4. Meanwhile, add the rest of the oil to a large saucepan and sauté the onion with a ¼ tsp. of turmeric until softened and translucent (around 3-4 minutes).

5. Add the garlic, celery and carrots and curry paste, stirring well. Sauté on a medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

6. Add 180ml of vegetable broth, scraping the caramelized vegetables off the bottom of the pan and cook on a medium heat for another 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced.

7. Add the remaining broth and roasted cauliflower and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to produce a gentle simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.

8. Blend the soup in batches and return to the pan.

Stir in the coconut milk and heat through gently. If the soup is very thick, add a little more vegetable broth.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh coriander.

Guests can season according to their taste. I find there is no need to add salt as the curry paste already contains it.