Gingery Cauliflower Soup
Who says quick and easy can’t also be delicious?
I’m kicking off the new year with a simple, tasty gingery cauliflower soup recipe or Gobi Ka.
This is one of my favorite Madhur Jaffrey recipes, adapted from her cookbook Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking. It really is quick and easy as the cookbook title promises.
What I like about this soup is how well the seasonings compliment and enhance the cauliflower, without overwhelming it. The fresh ginger adds a bright freshness and a little bite to the soup. It’s slightly peppery and sweet flavour pairs perfectly with the warm Indian spices.
When pureed, the cauliflower and potato in the soup add natural creaminess, resulting in a deceptively luxurious soup.
Cream or No cream?
Madhur Jaffrey’s original recipe calls for cream to be added to the pureed soup, adding a layer of richness to the finished soup.
The cream can be omitted to make this soup dairy free. I’ve made it with and without cream, and it’s equally delicious either way.
Use a low sodium vegetable stock and you have a delicious vegetarian soup.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and cut into fine slivers
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 5 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and cut into rough 1/3-inch dice
- 1 small cauliflower, broken into florets ( about 3-4 cups)
- salt to taste
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, cook until the onion is just beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne, stirring to allow the spices to warm. Next, add the stock, potatoes and cauliflower and stir everything together. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the soup to simmer, gently, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Purée the soup in batches in a blender until velvety smooth. Add in more stock or water if soup is too thick.For safety, be sure not to fill the blender jar more than halfway; leave the hole in the lid open and cover loosely with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape.Note: Alternatively you can use a food processor or hand held immersion blender. If the soup is not as smooth as you would like, strain through a sieve, pushing down to get all the pulp; discard the solids.
- Return the soup to the pot and warm over low heat; stir in the cream (if using). Taste adjust seasoning.
- Serve garnished with a little chopped coriander and a swirl of plain yoghurt or cream if you like.