My friend’s dad (who is East Indian) calls me “one of those white people who should have been born Indian”. It is a culture that I find incredibly interesting, and their food is one of my favorite cuisines. I usually leave their dishes to the experts but this is easy enough for anyone to prepare. Using premade curry powder is borderline sacrilegious but if it is fresh and good quality I don’t feel too guilty about it. My mom’s friend Marie made this blend for me and I included the recipe below but I have seen some pretty good already made versions at famers’ markets and health food stores too.
I like to throw a big soup together when I am particularly busy because then I have something warm, easily portable and nourishing to grab for quick meals. It takes a bit of time to wash and cut all the vegetables but overall it is pretty low maintenance process for the amount of food it produces. I like to portion the soup out into single or double servings in mason jars and then if I end up eating out and not getting through it very quickly I’ll put some of the jars into the freezer to stay fresh until needed.
When chopping the jalapeño I recommend wrapping your fingers in saran wrap or putting them in a plastic bag or rubber glove. I skipped that step this time and it ended with me hunched over the sink with my brother trying to splash water into my eye, getting most of it up my nose, because I rubbed it a couple hours and a few hand washes after chopping. Hot pepper juice is dangerous stuff, not to be underestimated.
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 4 cups mushrooms, halved (I used half crimini and half shiitake)
- 4 cups cauliflower, chopped (around ½ of a large bunch)
- 2 yams, chopped
- 1 small eggplant, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped finely
- 1 small jalapeño, minced (de-seeded for less heat)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro and/or parsley, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste (may not need any unless you used low sodium broth)
- Optional: 2-4 cups water to thin it out
- Optional: ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for extra heat and cleansing
- Optional: 1 19 oz can of chickpeas (around 2 cups)
- Optional serving accompaniments: over a bed of brown rice or with a dollup of plain yogurt on top
- Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium high heat on the stove. Once melted and warm (place a drop of water in and if it sizzles it is ready) add in the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and jalapeño and sautée for 4-5 minutes until very fragrant and everything is softened. This step really helps bring out the flavors, which is important in a vegetable soup that can get kind of bland. Add in the curry powder (and cayenne if using) and continue to sautée for a minute to help the spices really release their flavor. If anything starts to stick to the bottom during the sautéeing, add more coconut oil or water a tablespoon or two at a time. Now pour in the broth, coconut milk, vinegar and add in all the vegetables (except the fresh parsley and/or cilantro), plus the water as desired. Bring everything to a boil, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the fresh herbs and serve hot.
- 4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 teaspoons turmeric
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cloves
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground dried red or green peppers
- Ground and sift any spices that are not already in powder form individually. Combine them all in the blender and mix until thoroughly combined.
- This recipe can easily be tripled or quadrupled and then stored in the fridge to keep it extra fresh.