This soup is a lovely combination of flavors and texture. It has a mild curry taste, enhanced with the addition of orange and a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup. The toasted walnuts add taste and an appealing bit of crunch, while the optional yogurt provides a creamy finish. Although this is a great cold weather soup, it’s light enough to be enjoyed any time of the year — perhaps even for dinner with the addition of salad and some whole-grain bread.
Ingredients:
Makes 6 servings (Vegan Friendly)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp minced gingerroot
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 2 cups sweet potato purée (see Tips, below)
- 6 cups homemade vegetable stock or reduced-sodium chicken stock
- 3⁄4 cup millet, toasted (see Tips, below)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Toasted chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
- Plain yogurt, optional
- In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until carrots have softened, about 7 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, curry powder and orange zest and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sweet potato and stock and stir well. Bring to a boil. Stir in millet. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until millet is tender and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
- Add orange juice and maple syrup and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of yogurt, if using.
Tips
To get this quantity of puréed sweet potato, bake, peel and mash 2 medium sweet potatoes, each about 6 oz. You can also use a can (14 oz) of sweet potato purée. While it’s not necessary to toast millet, toasting does bring out its pleasantly nutty flavor. To toast millet, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it crackles and releases its aroma, about 5 minutes.
Credit for recipe:
Excerpted from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finlayson
© 2008 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Purchase the complete cookbook here.
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