Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
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Smooth, silky sweet potato soup with coconut milk and warm curry spices, topped with a fresh pomegranate salsa.
This velvety sweet potato soup is creamy and completely dairy-free. The secret to it’s lovely texture is full-fat coconut milk and a little whirl in a blender, which makes this soup as comforting as a warm cashmere wrap.
Sweet potatoes have a lot going for them, especially when pureed into soup! And as far as looks go, they’re blessed with the intense color of a Key West sunset.
Oh, and I almost forgot. They’re so delicious!
The best season for sweet potatoes is late fall and winter, conveniently timed for an appearance on the Thanksgiving table, and all the cozy dinners in the cold months that follow.
The vibrant color of this soup is amplified by the gorgeous golden hue of turmeric, the spice most often found in curry powder.
Fun Fact: Not only does turmeric lend its color and lightly bitter taste to curry spice blends, soups and sauces, it also helps to thicken them because it’s a rhizome plant with naturally starchy compounds.
The jewel-colored pomegranate relish is something I absolutely love and have been making for years (check out this Ricotta Flatbread ). It comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks.
Pomegranate seeds pop in your mouth with tart and sweet juice, which is a welcome contrast to the rich-tasting soup. Plus it looks so pretty on the table for a holiday meal.
Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) coconut oil or canola oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ⅓ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ¾ pounds (800 g) sweet potato (about 2), peeled and diced
- Kosher salt
- 1 13.5-ounce (400 ml) can coconut milk
Pomegranate Salsa:
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- ½ cup (82 g) pomegranate seeds, about 1/2 of one pomegranate
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion is softened and translucent.
- Add the mustard seeds to the pot and stir. As soon as they begin to pop, add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, black pepper and cayenne, stirring to coat the spices in the oil.
- Add the sweet potatoes, 3 teaspoons salt and 5 ½ cups water to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then adjust the temperature and cook partially covered for 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Pour the coconut milk into the soup and remove from the heat. Let cool slightly.
- Puree the soup in a blender until smooth, in batches if necessary.
Pomegranate Salsa
- To make the salsa, put the shallots, salt and lemon juice in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the olive oil and pomegranate molasses to blend, then add the pomegranate seeds and parsley.
- Serve the soup with a few spoonfuls of salsa on top.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- The soup keeps in the refrigerator 3-5 days, and in the freezer for 1 month.
- If you use a blender to puree the soup, be careful to only fill the blender jar about halfway. Hot soup expands quickly under pressure, making a mess if it explodes out of the lid
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.