Photo JTA
Yield: 6-8 servings
Every time I make this soup, people ask for the recipe and simply cannot believe it’s nondairy — it’s so rich and creamy. It’s also fairly easy to make and perfect for Sukkot.
Ingredients
10 medium sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
2-3 dried chili peppers (small; if using medium-sized dried chilis, use only one)
crème fraîche or sour cream (optional)
pomegranate molasses or tahini (optional)
pepitas (optional, for crunch)
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt in a small bowl.
Cut sweet potatoes in half and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Spread brown sugar and spice mixture all over sweet potatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Roast sweet potatoes for 35-45 minutes or until completely soft. Set aside and let cool.
In a medium to large pot, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté onions and carrots until translucent and soft, around 4-6 minutes. Add 2-3 cups of stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sweet potato flesh. Using an immersion blender, blend all vegetables until smooth.
Add remaining stock and dried chili peppers.
When the soup is heated through and flavors have blended, around 20-30 minutes, add coconut milk. Remove the dried chili peppers before serving. (Note: the longer you let the chili peppers sit in the soup, the spicier the soup will be.)
If you are making this soup dairy, you can serve with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream. If you are serving this soup pareve, drizzle with pomegranate molasses or tahini and top with pepitas for crunch, if desired.
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