Soup is generally enjoyed by most people. But there are a few funny folk out there, and I can say this, as the ones I’m going to talk about I love dearly. I have one friend who will only eat blended soup. She says if it’s chunky she doesn’t know whether to eat it or drink it. Big Man, on the other hand, will tolerate blended soup, but prefers chunks in a hearty soup. Maybe it’s a Boy Thing. I, being contrary to everyone, love soup in all forms and think it should be served for breakfast along with all things savoury. Am still working on curry flavoured yogurt (seriously!) but in the meantime, let’s get back to soup.
Big Man had to head back to Spain for a few days, so in addition to catching up on a pile of paperwork, I indulged in curries (not the curry flavoured yogurt though) and blended soups. A favourite of many people, with everyone giving it their own little twist, here’s my carrot soup recipe.
To serve 2 as a main course
- 1 litre of water or vegetable stock
- 8-10 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- A bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped (including the stalks)
- ½ teaspoon of chili powder
- 3 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 chopped onion
Fry the cumin seeds and coriander powder for a minute in a little olive oil. Now put all the ingredients including the spices and their scented oil (reserving some of the fresh coriander for serving) into a large saucepan, bring to the boil then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes until the carrots are cooked. Check and season to taste if necessary then purée with an immersion stick blender or in your regular blender. Also good with a dollop of creamy natural yogurt. Serve piping hot, wearing comfy slippers with two pups at your feet (optional).
And do check out another version of this soup I make with split peas. Yum!
It’s is carrot soup time of year I think, as here too are some beautiful recipes posted recently by fellow bloggers Frugal Feeding and Natalie at Cook Eat Live Vegetarian…yum!
And now for some gratuitous house renovation shots (House No 2)
Before
After (Luna thinks the carpet was put there expressly for her as a back scratcher)
Chica Andaluza 
curry flavoured yoghurt!!! You are crazy. I love it. I quite enjoy it if i get a few days to myself so I can eat whatever I like. I know this is weird but i don’t like carrots! I can’t grow them either even for the carrot lovers, though i am sure john would love this soup.. have a lovely day tanya! c
How funny, Big Man is not a huge fan of carrots either. Could never believe that anyone else excited who didn’t like them – clearly only very lovely people have this great dislike of carrots!
I agree it is odd, but I am much comforted that Big Man feels the same and now I can see why you chose this soup for your quiet dinner.. c
😉
Very true. I only found out about eight years ago that hubby only ate carrots as a good example for the kids. (been married for 48 years) I don’t bother serving him carrots now, so I’ll be enjoying your lovely soup all on my own. (The carrots won’t be out of my garden either, as I can’t seem to grow a crop for love nor money.)
I tried growing them too but you need good sandy soil! Isn’t it funny that we have the carrot lovers and haters! Hope all is well with you and the family Diane x
How funny! Will definitely try your spiced version with the next bunch of carrots! Just going to check out what Frugal’s been up to now too!! Are you on House No. 3 now? I’m going to have to start calling you Sarah Beeny!
I think it’s a carrot soup time of year! Yes, House (well, this one is a garden flat) no 3…enjoying it but will be ready to get back Up the Mountain in a month or so!
I love good soup, smooth or chunky, but if I’m told it’s smooth and I find a stray lump in it, well, that will just tip me over the edge!
Eek – another quirk to deal with in the circle of soup eaters 😉
Pretty, pretty soup!
Sunshine colours!
Love Luna. Miles does the same thing! And the soup sounds wonderful. When can I come over for some?
The pot of soup is on the boil, tell Miles we can go for a scamper along the beach (or he can scratch his back on the carpet if he prefers) 😉
I’m with you – soup in any form does it for me. I always seem to have a pile of carrots at this time of year, and those flavours are going to make me happy. Soup, beautiful soup:)
How can you not smile when you’re eating a soup that looks like a bowl of sunshine!
This looks delicious… and yes… we have a similar problem here – some like blendy, some like chunky. I dish up in two phases!!!
Yes, I’ve been known to whip out the stick blender half way through serving too!
I like soup both ways – it’s funny how people feel strongly about shape and texture, not just taste. Thinking back, I believe colour plays a big part in food likes too!
That soup sounds great regardless 😉
Oh yes, grey soup doesn’t really do it for many people does it?! Maybe that’s why some people aren’t keen on porridge or mashed potatoes which can sometimes have a sad look about it (not, clearly, when you or I are making it!).
Wow! Love how the renovations are coming. I cannot have carrot soup (or butternut squash soup for that matter) without cumin. I love the warmth of it. We are awkward…we like blended soup with just a few chunks!
I think my had a few chunks in it too – my stick blender is not super fast anymore 😦
It’s perfection then. The soup not the lazy blender!
😉
Your bowl of sunshine must be fabulous…..
I’m copying all your recipes!
Ah, hope you enjoy any that you make!
I was going to mention frugal’s soup ;). I LOVE spiced soup and this one I can have! Vegan all the way 🙂 I have been having soup for my evening meals as it is so easy to digest and I am sleeping like a baby without waking up at night (even when the 35kg Amstaff comes back from his loo break at 3am and jumps on my stomach…”OOF!”) and Frugal’s soup went down a treat…I reacon its a soup-off! I am going to try your gorgeous concoction as my friend gave me some rather insipid looking carrots that she grew (maybe they were meant to be yellow?) and I was about to shuffle them off to my daughters (the resident vegetable garbage tip 😉 ) when I tasted one and remembered what the real flavour of carrots was like…AMAZING! I think that your soup is going to be the vessel to give those carrots a real alimentary send off. I agree with you about soup…it’s fundamental! Smooth, yum, lumpy, yum…to those people who have problems with chunky soup…just do what my ex father in law did and call it “stoop” (stew + soup = stoop 😉 ). My old grandad used to say to us whenever we were being fussy about what was put in front of us because of the texture…”lewk yew lort” (Grandad was descendant from Scotts…) “Eets awrl gooing tew lewk the seem when eets een yer stoomak!” and after many youthful escapades with my rambunctuous friends involving food and alcohol (both in copious quantities)… I can honestly say “You were RIGHT grandad!” ;).
Your old grandad was a wise and canny man! I love the idea of stoop, and as my brother also says, it’s all the same when it goes down. As for yellow carrots…go for it. I hear they even have purple ones now but that is a bit bizarre for me.
Purple carrots taste like beetroot. They are very sweet and have a less crunchy and more “rooty” texture but I do love them (Steve says his jury is out on them 😉 ). Not sure about yellow but my friends carrots were the result of too rich soil if you can believe it! They grow best in sandy rubbish soil apparently. Maybe we have a bumper crop in the offing! 😉
Ooh I love beetroot so would probably love purple carrots then!
I really like them but Steve isn’t a fan. He likes his “beetroot” pickled, so maybe they would be an interesting disc shaped smaller pickle? Who knows 🙂
My husband belongs to the first group. If it is chuncky then it is not soup!
I love your spicy carrot soup Tanya. I am sure the cumin adds a lovely twist to it.
Love the before and after pictures 🙂 you are doing a wonderful job
I love cumin, it’s a really warm flavour. And it’s so funny reading the comments about smooth vs chunky soup lovers here!
Love the progress on the house, Chica. Like Big Man, I like chunky soup, but the spice makes this sound interesting.
Aha – you’re in the chunky soup camp!
Such a beautiful color on that soup! And I do so enjoy your renovation photos. You’re becoming quite the real estate magnate, aren’t you?
That’s it for us now on the real estate front – no more money! The soup was a feast for the eyes as well as the tum 🙂
Very unglamorously stood behind a long supermarket exit Q about an hour back! Lady in front of me loaded out five bags of carrots about 5 Kg each: did not dare ask her what for 🙂 ! : Perhaps she had been on the blog ere me 😉 ! Love the soup – great makeover and, pray, what is wrong with curry flavoured yogurt 🙂 ! ?
Glad you’re with me on the yogurt – maybe the lady was working on carrot flavoured custard?!
Luna!! Isn’t she just adorable, she must love the plush floor:D I am pinning this soup. I’m so stuck in a rut for different dinners and would love this one tomorrow! xx
Luna is a cheeky little monkey – we’re sorting out floorboards downstairs this week and she is most put out…they’re not so good for back scratching! Hope you enjoy the soup if you make it 🙂
This looks so appetising I think I will try it!
Hope you enjoy it if you do!
I love soup but ‘the management’ doesn’t regard it as a whole meal! Daughter prefers her soups lumpy because she likes to see what she is eating – I will eat any soup any time. And daily if possible.
I will try out the version with split peas – I do like a good solid soup at this time of year!
I get that comment too – unless it contains something really solid like chunks of meat and potatoes…then it’s a stew!
I LOVE carrot soup and use my Nana’s recipe. Now, I do think that Nana’s recipe is going to have to take a back seat while I try your SCRUMITY version. Love the idea of the fresh coriander – my favourite favourite favourite herb.
Puppy is just check the quality of the carpet for you…
🙂 Mandy xo
We need to see your Nana’s recipe – becuase Nanas are invariably right1 And yes, she’s our Quality Manager…naughty little Luna 🙂
¡Hola Tanya! Qué rica receta 🙂 y la casa #2 ha quedado magnífica. Enhorabuena!
Gracias Giovanna – estamos terminando con el suelo de tablas en la primera (ground) planta esta semana y hecho!
In spite of what some of the others have said, Tanya, I happen to love carrots and your soup would be a real treat. Well, if there wasn’t any of that foul cilantro in it. I cannot abide that herb, no matter how many times I’ve tried. Even so, carrot soup without cilantro is still carrot soup. Carrot soup without carrots is just hot water. 🙂
“Gratuitous”? Hardly. You’ve been working hard and we all want to see the fruits of your labor. Please show us all of the “before & after” pics you like.
Ha ha..my dad and Big Man won’t eat cilantro/coriander either! And yes, carrot soup without carrots is just hot water 🙂 Glad you liked the before and after photos…am never sure if people will be interested!
I love spicy carrots and soup can come in any format and I will eat it. We also have back scratching carpets 😉
Those carpets were made for pups I think, not for us hooooomans!
Loving the house updates! (And the recipes, too)…but the house updates… yes. the. house. updates.
HI Fati – good to see you and glad you are enjoying the updates!
Very much so, Chica!! Keep them coming! 🙂
I’m a soup girl myself and love it thick, thin, chunky or smooth. Love the sound of your carrot soup.
Yay for soup girls!
I love anything with curry in it…and curried yogurt, what a brilliant idea! Carrots on the other hand, I have made myself come to tolerate them, though I like them some ways a whole lot and not at all in other ways. This soup, however, sounds like something I would absolutely adore! 🙂 Now you know that room wouldn’t be complete without being christened by Luna, LOL!
Maybe there are carrot haters out here because they are sweet? I guess I should ask them all if they like sweet potato? No…Big Man likes Sweet Potato but not carrots so that theory is blown out of the water! Luna is now very unhappy as we have polished wood floors downstairs which are nowhere near as much fun as floorboards with holes and splinters or new carpet 😉
I seriously would gobble up this soup!!! It looks very delicious Tanya.
Thanks Tia – doubly delicious as I didn’t have to share 😉
I love carrot soup. I don’t spice mine up because I love the carrot flavor, but these spices do sound like a perfect blend for carrots. Sounds delicious.
When you have great tasting carrots they don’t need too much jazzing up!
I’m with you Tanya, blended smooth or lumpy, brothy or creamy, soup’s my thing! (and salads of course.) There’s something to be said when our guys head out of town for a few days and we can eat with only our own tastes and stomachs in mind. Something kind of delicious about that. Glad to see you used it to your full advantage! And curried yogurt? I’m game!
Hey hey, another one up for curried yogurt!
Aby soup will do for me, especially with this cold weather! The carrots and spices together are Ace!
Must make some more soon!