spiced orange cauliflower soup
Here’s to the first recipe of 2016! I can’t believe I’ve been blogging since 2014. It’s been an incredible ride since my very first post, and I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned and especially for all of my readers and their support as I build Savormania! With the new year comes a new desire to try new ingredients. One I’ve always wanted to cook with is orange or purple cauliflower, but could never find it anywhere. The first time I saw this colorful variety was on a cooking TV show — probably Master Chef or Top Chef — with the chefs using it to brightly decorate some of their dishes. I was instantly intrigued, wondering if the taste was just as different as the color. Colored cauliflower started popping all over supermarkets in Geneva a couple of weeks ago, and having promised myself that I would try them some day, I couldn’t resist buying a beautiful orange cauliflower head to cook that night.
It was cold and rainy that day, and after Googling some ideas of what to cook with orange cauliflower, I settled on converting it into a brightly colored soup. A recipe from The Kitchn suggested combining regular white cauliflower with spices and coconut milk–an ingredient that I use often to thicken my soups, but had never applied to cauliflower. Having already featured two different cauliflower soups, I decided to give The Kitchn’s advice a go. I love coconut milk, so how wrong could it be?
Orange cauliflower is slightly sweeter and nuttier than regular cauliflower. Its stronger aroma pairs deliciously well with warm spices, such as cumin, coriander and turmeric. The coconut milk tones down the sweetness of the orange cauliflower while making it extremely aromatic, turning this soup into a hearty and wholesome dinner to enjoy on a cold winter night.
For more soup recipes, click here
Make sure to follow my adventures and recipes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use the hashtag #savormania when recreating my recipes at home!
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 leek, washed, trimmed and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 orange cauliflower head (about 1kg), chopped into florets
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh coriander to garnish
- Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the leek for 8 to 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, ground cumin, turmeric and coriander and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the chopped cauliflower and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
- Add the coconut milk and purée the soup with an immersion blender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls garnished with chopped coriander.
You can use a regular white cauliflower head for this recipe too
Congrats on your second year Sharon! I’ve never seen an orange cauliflower before and will have to go to Whole Foods to see if I can find one there. I’m trying to eat healthy this new year so very excited to try your soup. Love the leeks in it because I’m a fanatic about leeks and could eat them in everything. They add such a nice sweet note to dishes. Love the vegetable broth too since I’m also trying to eat more vegan/vegetarian meals. This recipe is a win-win for me 🙂
karrie @ Tasty Ever After recently posted…Slow Cooker Cholula Shredded Beef Tacos
Thanks Karrie! It was the first time I cooked orange cauliflower; it’s slightly sweeter than the regular variety but delicious for a change! You can probably make this soup with a regular cauliflower if you don’t find an orange one. Hope you enjoy it!
This soup sounds fantastic! Definitely something I would make.
Sabrina recently posted…Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
Thanks Sabrina!