Indian Spiced Vegetable Soup with Prawns

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
• 1 large floury potato, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 800g Italian, canned tomatoes in juice, mashed
• 250ml water
• 250ml coconut cream, plus extra for garnish
• 200g raw, peeled prawns, cut in half lengthways, poached until just cooked in boiling salted water and well drained
• coriander leaves

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan over moderate heat and add the onions, carrots, garlic, zest, cinnamon stick, cumin, turmeric, coriander and ginger.

Fry gently, without browning until the onion is soft.

Add the potato, salt, tomatoes and water and bring to the boil.

Simmer 10 minutes until the potato is soft.

Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick and puree the mixture in a food processor or blender.

Clean the saucepan and return the pureed soup to it.

Add the 250ml of coconut cream to the soup, mix well and bring almost to the boil. Don’t boil or it may curdle.

Remove from the heat and serve the soup garnished with some prawns, a drizzle of extra coconut cream and a sprinkling of coriander leaves.

Suggested wines to complement this recipe

Sherry
Gonzalez Byass 'Alfonso' Dry Oloroso

Gewurztraminer
Matawhero 2009