Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup with Cucumber Raita

Whether it's a damp summer day or a hot summer night, soups are a great way to soothe you or cool you down. I love making soups because it's an easy way to use seasonal vegetables and is a nice alternative to eating salads. There are various ways of eating and making summer soups but the recipe I am posting today is a cooked soup that could be eaten warm or cool. It is a curried sweet potato and carrot soup topped with a cooling dollop of cucumber raita.

Curried Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup 

Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 4 cloves of garlic 
• 2 cooking onions 
• 2 cups of chopped carrots 
• 2 cups of chopped sweet potato 
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil or canola oil 
• 4 cups of vegetable stock 
• 1-2 tablespoons of curry paste 

Directions:

1. Mince the cloves of garlic and cut the onions into eighths. Set aside. Chop the carrots and sweet potato. 
2. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat and add the onions. Saute the onions for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, and sweet potato and saute for 2-3 minutes. 
3. Add 4 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until carrots and sweet potato are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly. 
4. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. If you have a hand blender you can also use it to puree the soup. This way you don't have to puree it in batches. When blending the soup, try to leave chunks of vegetables. This adds a nice texture to your soup.
5. Once pureed, add a tablespoon of curry paste. If you like a stronger curry flavour like myself, add another 2-3 teaspoons of curry paste. Taste the soup as you add each extra teaspoon to  make sure the strength of curry flavour is to your liking. 

Cucumber Raita 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 cups chopped seeded and peeled field cucumber 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions: 
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Chill raita, covered, until ready to serve.

Once the soup cools, add a dollop of cucumber raita. Because curry adds some heat, the raita is a great addition to cool the flavour of the soup. Enjoy!