Spiced Butternut and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

1 butternut squash - deseeded (keep the seeds!) and chopped into 1 inch squares

Soya sauce or Tamari

1 sweet potato - peeled and roughly chopped

1 large onion – finely chopped

4 cloves garlic – crushed

Thumb of ginger - finely chopped (not your thumb)

1 tbsp. cumin seeds - crushed in pestle and morter

1 tsp dried coriander powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to your spice taste)

Tin of coconut milk

Veg or beef stock cube

For the “rice”

1 large cauliflower (1/2 for soup ½ for rice)

1 tsp mustard seeds

10 curry leaves

1 lemon – juice and grated zest

Bunch of coriander (whatever you can afford)

Instructions

Turn the oven to 180c.

Peel and deseed the butternut squash, place the seeds in a bowl and coat in soya sauce. Place in the oven until crunchy and delicious.

Cut the squash and sweet potato into cubes, place on an oven tray with a lashing of oil and some salt and put it in the oven for around 25 mins, or until cooked through and starting to brown and caramelise.

While the root veg cook, heat some oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, cook down until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, and cook on a medium low heat for another 5-7 mins.

Chop the cauliflower in half, grate half of it and roughly chop the rest. Set the grated portion aside and tip the chopped cauliflower into the saucepan with the onions.

Add the coriander powder, cayenne pepper and cook for another minute.

Add most of the cooked squash to the saucepan, save a few bits to garnish the top of the soup.

Add the tin of coconut milk, stock cube and enough water to cover the veg plus a couple inches (so precise!)

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer away while you prep the rice.

Heat some oil in a frying pan, and the mustard seeds, curry leaves and lemon zest. As soon as the seeds start to pop add in the grated cauliflower. Stir continuously on a high heat until the cauliflower starts to brown and crisp.

Add in the roasted squash seeds, chopped fresh coriander and season.

Once the soup is cooked (everything is soft and the liquid starts to thicken), take it off the heat and allow to cool before liquidising in a blender to smooth.

Ladle the soup into a big bowl, and add the cauliflower rice mix on top along with some remaining chunks of squash, and a garnish of fresh coriander.

YUM.