CARROT, CASHEW AND ORANGE SOUP WITH RED LENTILS AND MADRAS SPICE
Time to get your soup on. As I feel myself going into emergency snacking mode — thanks to a digestive fire strengthening in the winter chill to keep my body warm from the inside out, it’s time to make sure that I have a batch of goodness to fuel me when there’s so much going on to distract me from making proper meals.
Soups are the most basic and nourishing of cuisines — one that is understood by every traditional culture. They’re easy to make, easy to digest, easy to reheat and easily feed a crowd. I’ve made this recipe for my friend’s Christmas party this Friday night — it’s pretty hearty, thanks to grounding carrots and the protein from the red lentils and cashews. Be sure to simmer this long enough for melt-in-the-mouth red lentils and carrots, which also means you’ll have a smoother (and easier to digest) soup. Adding a blast of fresh orange juice at the ends freshens up the soup with a tangy lift. If you prefer something lighter, leave out the creamy cashews. We’ll be serving it in mugs with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a dollop of yoghurt, extra toasted cashews and a spike of chilli.
INGREDIENTS
50g/⅓ cup cashews (soaked for 1-4 hours and drained*), plus extra for garnish
500g carrots, washed and coarsely grated
180g/1 cup red split lentils
2 medium leeks, finely sliced (green parts too)
2 litres veg stock (no more than 3 cubes to start)
½ tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp madras curry powder
1½ tbsp ghee or coconut oil
150ml freshly squeezed orange juice (juice of 2 large oranges)**
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional: **if you have organic oranges, zest them first for an extra flavour boost
1½ tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp sea salt
METHOD
Heat a large saucepan and dry fry the cumin seeds until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Add the ghee, madras powder, black pepper and leeks. Sauté until the leeks soften and take on a little colour, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the grated carrots, split red lentils, hot vegetable stock and the soaked cashews and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, lid on, for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils have completely softened.
While the soup cooks, chop and gently toast the extra cashews for the garnish in a dry frying pan — keep moving them in the pan until they start to colour, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Turn off the heat and blend the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth or textured as you prefer.
Add the fresh orange juice, stir well and taste. Add a dash of maple syrup, ACV or a pinch of salt to enhance if needed.
Serve in bowls topped with the toasted cashews and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Finish with a dollop of plain bio yogurt and a light sprinkling of dried red chilli flakes if you like.
East by West tip: *If you didn’t get to soak the cashews, don’t worry, it just to help them blend easier — add them at the beginning of cooking and they’ll start to soften up then.