Sweet potatoes, only distantly related to potatoes and not in the nightshade family, are high in fiber and some vitamins. They are easy to grow, hence the reason we plant so many in our garden. This year we had a fairly large crop of orange skinned/fleshed and purple skinned/white fleshed sweet potatoes. I’ve been mostly making them into sweet potato fries, tossed in garlic and smoked paprika and baked in the oven. But as a storm passed through, a soup was in order.
As the name says, these are naturally sweet and do well with a bit of spice. To the sweet potatoes, I add various spices and round it all out with some coconut milk. By all means use regular milk if you prefer.
Sweet Potato Soup with Curry
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 Tbs chopped ginger
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 kg sweet potatoes, cut into large cubes
- 750ml to 1 l vegetable broth
- 200 ml coconut milk
- cilantro (coriander leaves) to serve
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion with the salt until golden. Add the spices and cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the spices or else they will turn bitter. Add the sweet potatoes and the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and puree the soup using a blender (regular or immersion). Heat through and serve.
Notes: If you like a thicker soup only use 750 ml broth, for a thinner soup add 1 liter. I would suggest to begin with 750ml and then add more after pureeing to reach the desired consistency. Think carefully about what kind of curry powder you use. Remember the spice will develop a bit over time. So start with a milder one and add as needed.
Perfect for a stormy night! Your sweet potatoes from your garden are beautiful and I’m sure your soup was delicious. I don’t think we ever have real sweet potatoes in our markets, just yams. I don’t think they are as sweet but they do make a good side dish! Wish I’d been there to taste your soup!