Coconut Curried Carrot Soup

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion , chopped
  • 4 ribs celery , chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic , chopped
  • 2 pounds carrots , scrubbed but unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
  • 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and peeled, cubed
  • 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1 dash nutmeg
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste
  • juice of 1 lime

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.  Add butter.  Stir in the curry powder, ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 30 seconds.  Add the carrots, potatoes, & garbanzo beans.  Stir well.

Add the broth and water.  Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover the pot. Simmer until the carrots & potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Add coconut milk and stir well.  Remove from heat.

In batches, transfer the soup to a blender, process until smooth and pour the puréed soup into a large bowl. (If you have an immersible hand blender, you can purée the soup right in the pot.) Return the puréed soup to the pot. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Serve hot.