Cashews deliver lusciousness
THIS creamy soup shuttles the classic carrot-ginger duo into a deeply savoury, fragrant direction, with a taste reminiscent of one of my all-time favourite foods: Japanese carrot-ginger dressing. I stumbled on this iteration accidentally, but I sure am glad I did because it’s going to be in regular rotation for me from now on.
CARROT CASHEW SOUP WITH MISO AND SESAME
Servings: 6 (makes about 8 cups)
Total time: 40 mins
What you need
10 medium carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and divided
2 tbs neutral oil, such as avocado or canola
1 small yellow onion, diced (1 cup) 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated 1 tbs fresh ginger, minced
½ cup unsalted, raw cashews
¼ tsp fine salt, plus more as needed ¼ tsp ground white pepper
5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, plus more as needed 1 tbs sesame seeds
2 tsp toasted sesame oil, divided
1 tbs plus ½ tsp honey, divided
½ tsp rice vinegar
¼ cup shiro (white) miso, plus more to taste
How to make it
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate a few carrots to yield about ¹/ cup; set aside for garnish. Slice the remaining carrots into coins.
In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, about 1 minute more. Stir in the sliced carrots, cashews, salt and pepper; add the broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the grated carrots, sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, ½ teaspoon of honey, ½ teaspoon of rice vinegar and a pinch of salt.
Add the miso, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey and 1½ teaspoons of sesame oil to the soup, then use an immersion blender to purée it until smooth. Taste, and add more miso, if desired. (Alternatively, let the soup cool completely, then purée in batches in a regular blender and return to the stove to warm through over medium-low heat. If the soup seems too thick, add more broth, a splash at a time.)
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the grated carrot mixture and serve hot with a hunk of crispy bread. Substitutions
Instead of carrots, try parsnip or sweet potato. Nut-free? Petitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds. Allergic to sesame? Skip the oil and seeds.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. |