Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle & Coriander

Soups should not be complicated and I love how a few ingredients can transform a basic soup into something special. The addition of ‘Chipotle in Adobe’ is just that thing, it’s smoked chipotle chillies rehydrated and jarred in a sweet and tangy purée of tomato, vinegar, garlic, and some other spices. Substitute with smoked sweet paprika but if you like spice it will be worth getting your hands on a jar, they are easily available from any good deli or online.

This vegan friendly soup is what I crave when I want to be super healthy but still want to eat something nourishing and decadent.

For a bit of texture, pan-fry a few pieces of sweet potato in a bit of olive oil with toasted ground cumin or coriander and slide them onto the finished soup before serving.

Serve with some gluten-free Millet & Buckwheat bread, toasted if you want to be extra virtuous.

A hand blender of powerful blender

• 4 tablespoons oil of extra virgin olive oil/coconut oil
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 sprigs of  coriander, leaves picked, stems very finely chopped
• 2 large orange sweet potato (700g), peeled and diced
• 2 pieces jarred smoked red peppers (opt)
• 800ml good vegetable stock (heated)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika
• 1 teaspoon chipotle in adobe (see note)
• salt & pepper

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan with a lid on a high heat, add the onions, turn down the heat, and cook, covered until the onions are super soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the garlic, chopped coriander stalks, cumin, paprika, chipotle and two generous pinches of salt, cook & stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the sweet potato and swirl around in the pot so the sweet potato is covered with onions and the spices.
4. Add the hot stock  and turn up the heat until the soup starts to bubble.
5. Gently simmer for about 20/25minutes or until the sweet potato is super soft and falling apart.
6. Carefully, puree the soup with a hand blender or in a powerful blender taking care not to overfill. (Hot soup will rise because of the steam that is created when blended fast in a power blender). You can decide how chunky or smooth you would like the soup. Adding a little stock if the soup seems too thick.
7. Season one final time with salt & pepper and stir through the remaining coriander leaves.
8. Serve with sweet potato crisps if you made.
9. The soup will thicken as it stands but will thin out once heated again.

If you don’t have adobe chilli’s – just increase the smoked paprika to 1 1/2 teaspoons.