Carrot Curry Soup

I saw a recipe idea for this, and then of course, couldn’t locate it later 🙄, but the important details stuck in my head, at least enough to give it a try. The appealing part was that it contained a new idea, for me anyway, and that concept was starting the soup recipe with a base of Mirepoix! So, with the base of Mirepoix, the addition of carrots, curry powder, some coconut milk, and broth, this soup came to be . . . and, I was pleased 😛.

A little research was done, thank you Wikipedia -

Mirepoix - ( pronunciation: meer-PWAH) is a flavor base made from cooked, diced vegetables, usually with butter, oil, or other fat, for a long time on a low heat without coloring or browning.

Starting this soup with a base of mirepoix added a unique flavor, and these flavors just might allow your imagination to start creating other dishes such as stews or sauces with this base also. The definition includes cooking, but not browning or caramelizing the vegetables. I must admit, mine got a little brown at the end of cooking😳, but this actually added a touch of sweetness to the soup, and in this case, it added a great flavor, yum!

INGREDIENTS -

1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 Tbsp avocado oil
4-5 carrots, cut into 1” chunks (2-3 cups)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 Tbsp curry powder
8 oz roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, or to taste

In a dutch oven, heat the avocado oil to medium. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery and stir to coat the oil. Cook slowly for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. And, by definition, cooking until soft but not browning. But on this recipe if you brown a little bit, you are forgiven. 😊

After the mirepoix is cooked, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for approximately 30 minutes or until the carrot has softened.

If you have an immersion blender, this is the perfect time to use that tool. If not, transfer the soup into a blender to process, and then return to the dutch oven pot and continue to warm. Process the soup until blended and smooth, or leave a few chunks if you prefer, you can’t go wrong.

And that is it! Chopping the vegetables is the only thing in this meal preparation that takes a little time, if you start early in the day, this can be an easy one. Add a salad as a side dish, or serve alone, and you have a healthy plant based meal everyone will enjoy.