Broccoli-Quinoa Soup With Turmeric and Ginger
Published Jan. 23, 2025

- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1cup white quinoa
- 1½teaspoons ground turmeric
- Salt and pepper
- 4 to 5cups vegetable stock
- 1head broccoli (about 12 ounces)
- 1(14-ounce) can coconut milk
- Handful of cilantro, for serving
- Chile oil, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the quinoa, turmeric and 1 teaspoon of salt; stir to coat the grains.
- Step 2
Stir in 4 cups of vegetable stock, bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Cover and cook until the quinoa is swollen and tender, about 15 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli head into small florets. If there is a stalk, remove the woody skin and then slice it into disks.
- Step 4
Add the broccoli and coconut milk to the soup and stir. Simmer until the broccoli is just tender but still bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. This is a thick soup, but you can add more stock to thin it out to taste, if desired. Season with salt and lots of pepper.
- Step 5
Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro and drizzle with chile oil. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
This is really good and quite pretty. I don’t love coconut milk so I subbed unflavored oat milk. I added cubed extra firm tofu for a complete dish. Served with whole grain toast lathered with good butter for a perfect cold night dinner.
I love the base of this soup. That said, I think I'd prefer it with a vegetable other than broccoli. I feel like the texture of the broccoli didn't work with the quinoa. Maybe something mushier, like sweet potato, cauliflower, or potato? Or simply greens. I love Hetty Lui McKinnon's recipes, knowing that they are versatile.
We had this soup on a very cold and grim Sunday night, and we loved the flavours! The broccoli and the cilantro added a perfect crunch! We’ll have this dish on rotation!
I read the comments and adjusted the following: used chicken stock, added about two more cups of stock than called for, added a squirt of lime at the end before serving, and used dollops of Momofuku’s Black Truffle chili crunch that we had on hand. It was just absolutely gorgeous and will be adding to regular rotation. I used full fat coconut milk and thought the end result was quite hearty and substantial. The flavors were very Tom Kha Gai-esque, in my opinion, which I love! It also came together quite quickly. Oh, be sure to do the work of cutting the broccoli florets into small, bite-sized portions so that you don’t have broccoli stems hanging off the sides of your spoon. Enjoy!
This has the same flavor profile as NYT's famous "Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric." (Search for it - it's one of NYT's BEST recipes!) Knowing how much I love that recipe, I knew I would like this...although the texture is quite a bit different. I used half broccoli and half thinly sliced Brussels Sprouts, which worked great. It was DELICIOUS and super healthy! Be sure to rinse the quinoa, and don't skimp on the chili oil - it needs a bit of heat.
I added the 1/2 cup red lentils as suggested by some. Used 5 cups of liquid. It turned out a bit thick. I would suggest using more liquid if adding the lentils. Added some chard with Broccoli. The cilantro, lime and Chile oil made this dish.