Coconut Kumara Soup

We’ve had a late summer here in Wellington, but it’s drawing to a close, the winter duvets have come out of storage and we’ll soon be in the part of the year where thoughts turn to hot soup. This is one of my favourite soup recipes, which combines the mineral density of homemade stock, the beneficial fats in coconut, and the comfort and sweetness of kumara. It’s a combination of the delicious Coconut Chicken soup in Nourishing Traditions and my old favourite kumara soup recipes, and is gluten, dairy, egg and nut free. You can whip this soup up very quickly for lunch, after school or when you have unexpected visitors.

• 2 cups chicken (or duck, or turkey) stock
• 400ml can coconut cream
• 2 large kumara, cut into chunks
• 1-2 tsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
• Sea salt to taste

Bring stock to the boil in a large pan, and skim if needed. Add coconut cream, kumara and ginger and simmer till the kumara is cooked. Puree the soup with the wand attachment of a hand held blender, or in a food processor. Add sea salt to taste, if needed.

Variations:

• If you like a soup with more of a bite, add 1-3 dried chillis (depending on their size and your tastes) and remove them before blending.
• Play with different ratios of stock to coconut cream, and liquid to kumara, to get the flavour and consistency that works best for you.