Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup

Don't be misled by the term 'creamy'. This is a completely no-cream, healthy soup but it definitely has a thick, creamy consistency. No doubt! We both love soups and for me that makes my job a lot easier as soups barely take any time to prepare. Boil, blend, serve - that's pretty much the recipe for any of my soups. Been trying to post this recipe for a while now but my clicks did not do justice to the luscious colour of this soup. So have been postponing it...the photos this time are also nothing great but then what the heck! I am no food photographer :D

I never use stock in any of my soups as I find it absolutely unnecessary. But to enhance the flavour I always add shallots, garlic and celery. In this case I have used ginger instead of garlic and that just adds a  new dimension to the flavour of this soup. When you have this soup, you can literally feel the sharp, spicy taste of ginger down your throat which makes the whole experience pretty enjoyable. Feel free to browse through my post on Gajar ka Halwa to find out more about the health benefits of carrots. Apart from the nutrients, they give such a wonderful texture and colour to this soup.

Carrot Ginger Soup: Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2):

• Carrots - 3 roughly diced
• Celery - 1 stick finely chopped
• Shallots - 5 to 6 finely chopped
• Fresh ginger - 1" piece finely chopped
• Water - 2 1/4 cups
• Low fat milk - 1/4 to 1/2 cup (adjust as per required consistency)
• Extra Virgin Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a pot, warm some olive oil and add the finely chopped shallots, ginger and celery. Saute well for few minutes. They should not brown.
2. Add the diced carrots. Season with some salt and pepper (you can fine tune the flavours later). Pour the water and cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes till the carrots are pretty much soft.
3. Cool the mixture for couple of minutes and then blend it smooth.
4. Pour this smooth mixture back into the pot and simmer. Add the milk and stir well. As soon as it begins to boil take it off the stove. Do a taste test to adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot with toasted whole meal bread or croutons.

Linking this to Srav's Spring Seasonal Food: