Carrot Soup With Ginger, Turmeric and Lime

By David Tanis

Updated October 29, 2017

  • Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(1,540)
Comments
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Here is the antidote to cloying, overly sweet, one-dimensional, too-thick carrot soup: fresh carrots, bright spices and a squeeze of lime. The final sizzling of cumin and mustard seeds in coconut oil — the technique is known as tarka in Indian cuisine — adds an extra blast of flavor. Look for young carrots, long and slender, which are far fresher and tastier than the fat ones that come in jumbo bags. In warm weather, you can serve the soup chilled if you'd like.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, vegetable oil or ghee

  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

  • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

  • 1 tablespoon turmeric

  • ½ teaspoon toasted and ground coriander

  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne

  • Salt

  • 2 pounds young carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 small daikon radish, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 2 cups)

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 serrano pepper, finely chopped

  • Cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

  • Lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

25 grams carbs; 172 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 643 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 11 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons coconut oil. When oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until onions are lightly browned. Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and cayenne and cook for one minute more, or just until fragrant. Season generously with salt.

  2. Step 2

    Add carrots and 8 cups water. Raise the heat and bring to a brisk simmer, then put on the lid and turn heat to low. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from stove and let cool slightly. Purée in a blender in batches, then strain and return to soup pot. Thin with water if necessary; the soup should not be too thick. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    While soup is cooking, simmer daikon in a few inches of salted water until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

  4. Step 4

    Reheat the soup over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of coconut oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and serrano pepper. Cook for one minute, or until spices are fragrant and beginning to pop. Pour the entire contents of the pan into the soup and stir to combine. Taste for salt and adjust.

  5. Step 5

    Divide daikon pieces among 4 to 6 warmed bowls and ladle over a cup or so of soup. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if using, and give each bowl a squeeze of lime.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,540 user ratings
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Comments

ayse

two words. Immersion blender. None of this back and forth into a food processor, with hot liquid going everywhere. If you buy this one piece of equipment, you will make a lot more of those lovely vegetable puree soups

petey tonei

I made carrot soup with fresh ginger, granny smith apples (tart ones), cinnamon, bay leaf and garam masala. Seasoned with cumin seeds sizzles in unsalted butter. Lots of lime. Garnish with fresh cilantro and green scallions. Clean and simple taste. (For some reason onion and garlic alter the carrot soup)

L. Amenope

I make a very similar soup, but use 1/2 carrots and 1/2 cauliflower, which also cuts down on the sweetness and adds some creaminess.

NK

I made this one time for someone with their wisdom teeth removed to help on the nutrition front. No one in the home truly enjoyed this (but it was ok)--it was very useful on the wisdom teeth front as was the cheddar potato and red lentil soups (both now staples in our house in winter). I agree with those suggesting ways to thicken it. Recommend using less turmeric and substituting the water for broth.

David Shepherd

As I always do, I went heavy on the ginger and garlic, which made the base very spicy-hot. Had to cool it all down with about a half can of cream of coconut. But because I had that good spice/heat layer, I dispensed with the serrano and mustard altogether. Used ground coriander and cumin because that's what I had. Immersion blendered the lot, garnished with/fried leek rounds (no daikon) and cilantro leaves.

Rachel Scott

This is the second time trying the recipe. I like to share when I can with my dogs so I omitted garlic and onion aa options. It‘s impossible to find any kind of broth without either onion powder or garlic powder. I added a boneless，skinless chicken thigh，which shoukd make it up for the chicken broth. To add additional nutritional value，I added kale and chopped up about half of a stalk of celery. I’ve used just chopped up fresh ginger and tumeric powder for spices—both ard considered healthy for dogs and people. I didn‘t notice the daikon radish—I was reslly happy with my results the last time，but this could turn out differently，as I substituded coconut cream，last time，because I accidentally got seversl cans og it accidentsllh frokbAmazon—I don’t know why. I had no idea what to do with it，until I tried it for this soup！ It was delicious！I also had no idea how to blend hot soup，so I just skipped that step. My dogs and I enjoyed the last batch—with the celery added，I‘m wondering whether it will make a difference. I am going to add half butter and half olive oil—seems a good plan，as someone elss suggested—and might make up for using coconut mik insread of coconut cream，this time. I learn a lot from the comments—I didn’t realize the tumeric could have such a powerful effect！Maybe I‘ll be OK，because that was my only curry spice. I’m not used to many of the spices mentioned in New York Times recipes. I‘m finding many of them in Austin， TX， at Central Market.

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