Ginger Butternut Soup

This butternut soup is quite straightforward to make, but packs a big punch. The heat from the ginger warms you up as well as gives your throat a little tingle, perfect for the winter cold we’re experiencing right now. Make a big batch of this, freeze or leave in the fridge for the week, it gets better and better everyday it sits.

Serves: 4-6 people

prep/cooking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

1 big shallot, thinly sliced

1 thumb sized knob of ginger, finely grated

1 red chillies, finely sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4cm knob of fresh turmeric or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, grated

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp white miso

2 tsp tomato paste

1/2 cup celeriac, peeled and chopped into small cubes

1 kg butternut, peeled, deseeded and chopped into small cubes

3.5 cups (340ml) veggie or chicken broth

2 tsp thin soy sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

Method

1. In a pot on medium high heat, add a glug of oil. Once hot, add your shallots and cook them until they’ve gone transluscent, 3-4 minutes. Next, add the ginger, chilli, and garlic, cook stirring for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the spices; turmeric, cinnamon and cumin, warm through for 30 seconds, until bloomed.

2. Add the miso and tomato paste into the pot, and cook stirring until the tomato paste darkens slightly, 2-3 minutes - if the mixture is cooking too quickly, and starts sticking to the bottom of the pot, turn the heat down or add a splash of water.

3. Add the celeriac and butternut into the pot, mixing thoroughly to get all the veg coated in the spices, pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, when it comes to a boil, reduce the heat down to medium low, add a lid and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the veg has softened.

4. When the veg has softened, take the mixture off the heat, blend the liquid until smooth, and pass through a strainer to remove any big bigs or pulp. Be careful when blending hot liquid! To avoid any burning, let the soup cool down before.

5. Pour the soup back into the pot, heat up and finish by stirring in the thin soy sauce and rice vinegar. Serve whilst hot.