Spiced Cauliflower Soup

Makes 4 serves / Takes 10 minutes to prep & 20 minutes to cook / Vegetarian | Vegan | Paleo | Dairy-free | Gluten-free

A thick and creamy soup... without any cream. Cauliflower makes a great hearty base for soups and you can get as imaginative as you like when it comes to adding flavours. I like to use warming spices like cumin, fennel and ground coriander, but it's great with a dash of curry powder, too. For extra depth, roast the cauliflower florets in the oven instead of boiling them, then add to the stock and blend.

Spiced Cauliflower Soup Photo: Jess Daniell

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• pinch of salt
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper and extra olive oil to drizzle

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the onion and salt, and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the cauliflower, stock, coriander, fennel and cumin seeds, and chilli flakes. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is soft, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk, then blitz with a stick blender until smooth. season with salt and pepper.

Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with extra cumin seeds, with bread for dipping.

Tip: If you have a large enough saucepan, and can't be bothered floreting your cauliflower (it can get messy), simply trim off the outer leaves and the thickest part of the stalk, and throw it in the pan whole. The cauliflower steams as it cooks, so it doesn't need to be completely immersed in the stock. Once it's fork-tender, blend as per the recipe above.