Cauliflower and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

An endevour to make Aloo Gobi earlier this week left a surplus of cauliflower in the fridge that either had to be used, or it would go sour and stink to high heaven. I don't like to see food go to waste, so I made soup out of what was left.

To do this, you'll need:

1 1/2 cup cauliflower
1 1/2 cup potato
2 l chicken or vegetable stock
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp ginger
1/3 red onion
1 green chile
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tsp cumin seeds *
1 tsp coriander seeds *
1 1/2 tsp turmeric *
* you can substitute curry powder if you wish here.

Step 1:

Start by washing and preparing your ingredients. Mince your garlic and dice your onions up. Ditto for your ginger.

Step 2:

This is the toughest part of the soup right here. Cut the chile lengthwise and remove the seeds unless you want to overpower your soup with heat. Slice it into tiny rings and then wash your hands. Don't rub your eyes or nose or anything else until you've washed your hands. Learn from my experience.

Step 3:

After you've washed your hands, peel your potatoes and remove any greenish bits or eyes they've grown. Then dice them up as well.

Step 4:

Add your cumin and coriander seeds to a pestle. Add the turmeric too and grind everything up nicely. Skip this step if you're using curry powder.

Step 5:

Get your stock ready in a mixing bowl or a measuring cup. I like this brand because it's not salted, nor does it contain any MSG. How they make chicken flavour out of vegetables though, is beyond my own grasp of food science.

Step 6:

Melt your butter (or margarine) in your pot over medium to high heat.

Step 7:

Add the onion, ginger and garlic to the butter once it's melted and cook it until it smells delicious and your onions are clear.

Step 8:

Try not to get distracted like I did, and then add the chilies, turmeric, coriander & cumin seed (or curry) mixture to the pot and don't worry if things are a little brown at this point. As long as you haven't burned anything, you're okay. And your pot won't look like a cleanup catastrophe once the soup's finished either. Give it a few stirs and be ready to add everything else in.

Step 9:

Stir it all up once or twice and then cover your pot and turn up the heat to high for 15-20 minutes.

Step 10:

When you return, you should have a lovely boiling mass of what will become a delicious soup.

Step 11:

Remove it from heat and let it stop bubbling and rolling around before you get out your trusty hand blender.

Step 12:

Blend, blend, blend until your heart's content and everything's nice and smooth.

Step 13:

Now strain 1/2 of the mixture in an effort to thin the soup out. You can skip this step if you prefer your soup to be a thicker puree.

Step 14:

Then, ladle it into bowls and garnish with whatever you've got on hand. I used green onion, but coriander also works if you like it.

Serve on its own or as an appetizer and enjoy!