Aromatic Pea & Mint Soup

Name: Aromatic Pea & Mint Soup
Total time: 1500 s
Yield: 3-4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 shallots, sliced; 1 tbsp unsalted butter+1 tbsp oil; 1 clove garlic, chopped; 1 piece ginger, grated; 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed; 12 fresh curry leaves, shredded; 1-2 tbsp desiccated coconut, soaked in a little boiling water; 375 g frozen garden peas, thawed (if time allows); 1 generous tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp chilli powder; 600 ml/1 pint water or stock (vegetable or chicken); 30 g fresh coriander/cilantro, washed; 30 g fresh mint, washed and stalks removed; 1 lime, juiced; 1 tsp garam masala; Salt and ground black pepper; Optional red pepper flakes; Optional thick cream

Celeste @celeste_xtina_C00K5

Essex

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I have seen so many pea purées on cookery shows using the South Asian flavours of mint, chilli, coconut and coriander, that I thought I might add those flavours (which I love) to a traditional British pea and mint soup.

As I cooked this I thought about my Great Nan, who I never met, but who had much much less adventurous tastes than I now do, according to what my Mum used to tell me... The clove of garlic would have been unacceptable to her 😕 I guess I hope she might have enjoyed this version of what was, no doubt, one of her favourite soups.

🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵

Celeste @celeste_xtina_C00K5

Essex

🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵

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Ingredients

20-25 minutes

3-4 servings

2shallots, sliced
1 tbspunsalted butter+1 tbsp oil
1 clovegarlic, chopped
Smush garlic easily
1 pieceginger, grated
Freeze your Ginger
1medium potato, peeled and cubed
12fresh curry leaves, shredded
1-2 tbspdesiccated coconut, soaked in a little boiling water
375 gfrozen garden peas, thawed (if time allows)
1generous tsp ground cumin
1/2 tspchilli powder
600ml/1 pint water or stock (vegetable or chicken)
30 gfresh coriander/cilantro, washed
30 gfresh mint, washed and stalks removed
1lime, juiced
Get lots of juice from a lime
1 tspgaram masala
Salt and ground black pepper
Optional red pepper flakes
Optional thick cream

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Steps

20-25 minutes

1

Melt the butter in the oil in a medium saucepan (the oil will prevent the butter from burning)
2

When butter is melted, add the shallots and cook gently until softened and pink colour goes (about 2-3 minutes)
3

Add the garlic and ginger (see my tips on making the prep easier)

Take the stem out of garlic
4

Cook for 30 seconds to a minute until all starts to go golden brown.
5

Add the chilli powder and cumin, stirring to cook off spices for a minute or so.
6

Add the potatoes and curry leaves and stir through for a couple of minutes to coat the potatoes in the spiced butter and start them cooking.
7

Pour all the peas and coconut into the pan and stir.
8

Add the water (hot) to the pot, stir and bring to the boil. Have a good smell... It is beginning to smell delicious!
9

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring the pot occasionally.
10

Roughly chop the mint and coriander.
11

Check the potatoes are cooked by inserting the tip of a knife... If the piece of potato falls off, it is cooked.
12

After the 15 minutes are up, put the herbs in. Stir, then simmer for a further five minutes.
Why not have a nice aromatic, minty facial sauna while you wait? (see photos 😊)
13

Turn off the heat.
14

Now, if you own a stick blender, please use it, as it will save you time and washing up. If like me, you kept the motor on for more than 60 secs, and now it doesn't work any more, follow the next steps...
15

Have another medium saucepan on the hob ready.
16

Ladle only as much soup as will reach the maximum liquid fill level on the food processor.
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL BLENDING HOT LIQUIDS.
17

Close the lid on the blender, and if like me, you have lost the part for pushing food into it, cover the hole with a tea towel.
18

Blend as smooth as possible, then carefully pour soup into the saucepan on the hob.
19

Repeat until all soup is blended.
20

Now, take your time to season and taste the soup repeatedly, until the salt level makes all those beautiful flavours really sing. It took two teaspoons of table salt for me. Use a clean spoon each time you taste.
Don't forget a good grinding of black pepper too.
21

Bring the pot back to the heat and heat through thoroughly.
22

Squeeze in lime juice (see my tip on how to get maximum juice from your lime.)
23

Add the garam masala, stir in.
24

Serve soup with optional added red pepper flakes and or thick cream (but I don't really think it needs either) 💚

Tips

Smush garlic easily

Use salt to keep garlic in its place while chopping, and to create an abrasive surface so you can use the side of your knife to smush it (yes, that's a technical term 😁)

Freeze your Ginger

When you buy ginger, break into pieces and freeze in a bag. When you need it, it will after a few minutes out of the freezer, be easy to peel with a knife (keep it down on the chopping board) and very easy to grate (no fibres clogging your grater or juice making it slippy)

Get lots of juice from a lime

Roll the lime back and forth under the heel of your hand until it has some 'give', in other words, gets softer. Then cut and juice. *This will also make your hands smell of lovely lime essential oils* 😊

Take the stem out of garlic

Apparently, the sulphuric smell that causes bad breathe in garlic comes mostly from that greenish stem. To remove it before chopping, slit the clove lengthwise, poke your knife under the stem and simply pop it out.

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