Spicy sweet potato soup recipe

I LOVE sweet potatoes and a favourite soup is to blitz them with red pepper, tomato, garlic and Mediterranean herbs, and top with a dollop of pesto and/or shavings of Parmesan.

But I fancied something with a bit more heat, so came up with this version featuring chilli and a warming and aromatic spice mix of cumin, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon.

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime and a scattering of chopped coriander leaves, and some natural yoghurt, should you wish.

Spicy sweet potato soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 small garlic cloves
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp of cinnamon
tablespoon of tomato puree
sprinkle of chilli flakes (adjust according to how hot you like your food)
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml of veg stock
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve: (optional) 1 lime, cut into four wedges
Handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves
Swirl of natural yoghurt

Method:

Warm a dash or two of olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add onions and garlic and soften gently for about five minutes. Be careful they don’t burn.

Add spices and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in tomato paste and ‘cook’ so it melts into the onion mix. Add a few spoonfuls of stock.

Mix again then add all the potato cubes. Make sure these are all coated in the lovely spice mix, cook for a few mintutes, then add the can of tomatoes and the rest of the stock. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until all the potatoes are tender. Then mash so you get a thick, rustic soup, or blitz it with a blender until it is smooth.

Serve with a a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some coriander leaves, if you wish. You could also add a swirl of natural yoghurt to take the edge off the heat.

Twitter: @MaxineYGordon