Christmas 2010 : Carrot and Coriander Soup

After a morning of opening presents, it was time to prepare lunch. The thing about Christmas day is that I want to put delicious food on the table but at the same time, enjoy the day just like everyone else and not stress about cooking.

The carrot and coriander soup was a breeze to make, and if you prefer, you can even make it the day before and just reheat it when you want to serve it. We enjoyed the creamy soup with some Lebanese flatbread and store-bought hummus dip (blended chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic) and sun dried tomatoes.

Smooth and delicious

Lebanese flat bread with sundried tomatoes and hummus

Carrot & Coriander Soup

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped finely

450g carrots, sliced

1 potato, sliced

1 tsp ground coriander

1.2 litre vegetable or chicken stock

30g fresh coriander, finely chopped and some for garnishing (daun ketumbar)

1. Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Then, add the potatoes and ground coriander and cook for a further minute.

2. Add the carrots and stock, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes until the carrots have softened.

3. Let soup cool slightly before tipping into a food processor or blender. Blitz the soup with the fresh coriander until you get a smooth, creamy consistency. Do this in two batches.

4. Return to pot and reheat to serve. Garnish with a sprig of coriander.

You can also serve the soup with a ham, sundried tomato and cheese wrap.

*Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food.