Thai green curry cauliflower and coconut soup

Another rainy day means another soup recipe - and another successful experiment! This is another delicious fragrant and spicy soup that will warm you up, its vegetarian and vegan friendly, cheap and easy to make and is quite low in carbohydrates.

The major ingredient in this soup is cauliflower, and even those who are not cauli fans are unlikely to realise it!  It has a similar texture to a potato soup but without all the high GI carbs.  Cauliflower is a fantastic vegetable and as a part of the brassica family (also known as cruciferous vegetables) cauliflower contains antioxidants, phytonutrients, lots of fibre and is high in vitamin C, B6, K and folate. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant foods like cauliflower decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

The coconut milk in my recipe does add more kilojoules and fat, but it is not too much across this big pot of soup, and I have chosen a reduced fat variety. If you are closely watching your saturated fat intake you could consider using evaporated milk and a few drops of coconut essence instead.  If you're in Australia you can buy a low fat evaporated milk that is coconut flavoured for exactly this purpose! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large leek sliced
• 1 bunch coriander
• 1 whole head of cauliflower roughly chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1  can reduced fat coconut milk
• 2 TBSP Thai green curry paste
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped)
• 1 tsp minced ginger 
• 1 TBSP dried paprika
• 1 TBSP dried chilli flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy!)
• Greek yoghurt and coriander leaves or sliced shallots to serve

METHOD:

• Slice leek, roughly chop cauliflower,  chop stems of coriander just above the roots, set leaves aside for later. 

• Toss onion and coriander stems in a heavy based pot with olive oil, garlic, ginger, paprika and chilli flakes and saute for a few minutes. If you are not a fan of coriander or you don't have any fresh, use 1 tsp of dried ground coriander seeds. 
• Add chopped cauliflower and saute for a few minutes. Add green curry paste and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant.

• Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, a pinch of salt and black pepper.

• Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat until cauliflower is very soft.

• Whizz with a stick blender or food processor until your soup is thick and creamy. 

•  I served in a bowl with a dollop of Greek yoghurt in the middle. Serve topped with chopped shallots or coriander leaves for extra bite, or lemongrass stems if you have them. Delicious with a slice of dense multigrain bread or a traditional sourdough to soak up the flavour. 

Easily serves 6 hungry people :) Bon appetit!