Spicy Carrot-Ginger Soup
Updated June 4, 2024
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1large yellow or white onion, sliced (about 1½ cups)
- 6garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
- 2pounds carrots, preferably young, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 4 cups)
- 1jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and sliced
- 1(2-inch) chunk of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, plus 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh
- 6cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- ½cup crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1tablespoon very finely sliced chives
- 1small bunch cilantro
- 1teaspoon lime zest
- 1tablespoon lime juice
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
163 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 890 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until onion and garlic have softened, about 10 minutes. Don’t let the mixture brown.
- Step 2
Add carrots, jalapeño and sliced ginger, and stir to coat. Add a little more salt. Turn heat to high, add 6 cups broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a brisk simmer and cook until carrots are completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature, if possible.
- Step 3
While soup cools, make the ginger-chive cream: Combine the crème fraîche, grated ginger and chives with a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
- Step 4
When cool, transfer the soup to a blender (in batches, if necessary) and purée. Taste and adjust salt, and add as much additional broth as necessary to achieve the consistency of heavy cream; the soup should not be thick.
- Step 5
To serve, reheat soup over low heat. Check for seasoning and adjust. Roughly chop leaves and tender stems of cilantro, leaving aside a few sprigs for garnish. Stir lime juice and zest and 1 cup chopped cilantro into the soup. There should be little green flecks throughout the soup (cooling the soup first keeps cilantro fresher tasting). Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a spoonful of the ginger-chive cream and a few stems of cilantro.
Private Notes
Comments
Skipped jalapeño (kids), skipped cooling step (unnecessary), used immersion blender, and substituted green onions for chives in the sour cream. Whole family licked their plates, including my 7 and 4 year olds!
I made this soup today, right by the book. Instead of using my blender, I used my Mouli. However the recipe says prep time is 15 minutes. Granted, I am not speedy, but I question what person could possibly prepare this in 15 minutes? However, I have to say the soup is delicious.
I’ve made this soup twice now - once almost directly as written, and once with a few modifications. I prefer the slightly modified version but both turned out great. The recipe as written is light and simple, but the very faint bite from the garlic, ginger and jalapeño makes for a distantly complex flavor profile. Like you don’t realize how good it is until you’ve had several spoonfuls and you have some time to reflect on the subtleties. The texture is perfect and the final touches of the lime/cilantro crème fraiche or sour cream really help freshen it up. Overall, a solid carrot-based autumn soup to mix things up from the typical butternut squash route. For my modified version, I doubled the jalapeños, added an extra garlic clove, bumped up the ginger, and seasoned the vegetables with nutmeg and cumin before adding the broth. These adjustments really brought the soup to life for me. Bringing the jalapeños closer to the spotlight helped to highlight what I think is the most interesting aspect of the recipe, and then the additional nuances of the nutmeg and cumin gave it some more quintessential autumn soup personality. I could totally see myself returning to this recipe as written for large parties (especially for groups with low spice tolerance), but my modified version will see more personal use.
Double the ginger and add crushed red pepper. Chill well
An update to my previous comment after making this soup weekly :) I add cumin, coriander, and cayenne in step 1. I add 2 chopped dutch/yukon gold potatoes at step 2. I double the sliced ginger, double the jalapenos, use 1x extra garlic clove, and 3 pounds of carrots. I use 8oz of chicken broth. I use the zest and juice of a whole (vs half) lime. I skip the cooling stage and use immersion blender. Parsley is a fine substitute for cilantro. Creme fraiche or no toppings, I love it both ways!
We love this soup! Good for summer also, it has the flavor profile we like best. Other carrot soups are too bland for us.