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Super healthy and crazy delicious, this beautifully-hued Carrot Coriander Soup is sure to become a favorite with young and old alike at your dinner table!
Have you ever found out about something new and then wondered; "Why in the world, did it take me so long to discover this?" They say, "What you don't know won't hurt you.", right? What "they" don't tell you is that sometimes what you don't know could make your life brighter, more interesting, more fun or... just more delicious! This Carrot Coriander Soup is the perfect example!
Scott and I are currently in London, visiting our daughter Cait and her family. We love visiting this bustling metropolis and simply living daily life here. Our London family includes four children, 10 years old and under, so life is never boring. We love spending time with the little ones, but it's also wonderful having one on one time with Cait during the school hours. We'll often jump on the Tube (the London underground) or in the car with her and head out to some fun destination.
One morning last week, after being out all morning, Cait asked if we'd like soup for lunch. It was a cool, cloudy, damp (typical London) fall day and soup sounded wonderful. She pulled out a big bunch of carrots and a few other ingredients and, before I knew it, there was a large pot simmering away on the stove, sending a delicious aroma throughout the house.
It was a wonderful lunch; warm, fragrant, beautifully-hued soup, a simple green salad and warm, crusty bread. Cait shared that the soup recipe, Carrot Coriander Soup, was from Fine Cooking. I'd never heard of Carrot Coriander Soup but, after doing a bit of research, discovered it's a very common soup, both here in England and also in Ireland.
And it's funny, every grocery store I've been in since, has cartons of this soup in their prepared foods section. I've also noticed that it's a common offering on café, bistro and restaurant menus here as well. Honestly, ever since Cait prepared this soup for us, I'm seeing it everywhere! Have I been living under a big rock? Hello? Where have you been hiding, Carrot Coriander Soup?
Since it's so popular in this part of the world, I decided to do a bit of research on it's history and origins. If you google it, there really isn't much information available regarding where and how this soup got started. There are however, a zillion different recipes. I checked out a bunch of them and, although they were surprisingly similar, each one had one or two distinctive ingredients that set them apart. I decided to follow the Fine Cooking recipe and add a few of my own touches.
While researching, I did glean one interesting fact about the soup's history. On the New Covent Garden Soup Company website I read this: Carrot and Coriander is one of our most cherished recipes and a big part of our soup making history. 25 years ago we first combined sweet carrot with peppery coriander and a dash of nutmeg to discover a new flavour phenomenon.
Did they actually invent it? It's hard to say for sure. It was fun to read about this company though, as Scott and I had planned to be in the Covent Garden area of London for a class this week at the Apple Store. It was a "photo walk" and the description had intrigued us "Join us on a walk through Covent Garden’s passageways and courtyards to photograph some of the area’s secret spaces and learn techniques for capturing amazing photos with your iPhone or iPad."
We had visited Covent Garden in the past, but this time we saw parts of it we probably never would have discovered on our own.
The class was yesterday and it was amazing. We had visited Covent Garden in the past, but this time we saw parts of it we probably never would have discovered on our own. It's the home of the Royal Opera, the Covent Garden Market as well as the area where Charles Dickens lived and wrote in his later years. I thought it would be fun to share a few of the charming sights we saw our the photo walk. The first one is a shot in the Covent Garden Apple Store, an awesome place to visit!
So perhaps Covent Garden is where Carrot Coriander Soup originated, but even if it's not, you definitely want to try this fabulous soup. It's easy, super healthy and it will definitely make your life more delicious!
P.S. Scott says this might be his favorite soup ever. That's saying a lot, as he's generally not a huge fan of pureed soups.
Not a fan of cilantro? No worries, you honestly won't know it's in here, so don't skip it. When cilantro is simmered in a soup or stew it takes on a totally different, very delicious flavor profile. Oh, and if you like this delicious soup how about another one? Try our Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Ginger Cream - so delicious!
LOTS OF PEOPLE ASK WHAT KIND OF COOKWARE, SMALL APPLIANCES, CUTLERY, ETC. I USE IN THE KITCHEN. HERE’S WHAT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 pounds carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium apple cored and roughly chopped (don't worry about peeling
- 1 jalapeño stemmed, halved, and seeded
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons whole coriander finely crushed with a morter and pestle or spice grinder
- 7 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 bunch cilantro about 3 oz., stems attached, washed well, a handful of leaves reserved for garnish
- 1 14 ½- ounce can light coconut milk
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In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
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Add the carrots, apple, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, coriander and chicken broth. Bring to a boil them reduce to a steady simmer and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are very soft, about 30-35 minutes.
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Add coconut milk and puree the soup with a immersion blender or a regular blender** until silky smooth smooth. (For less heat, remove one half of the jalapeño before puréeing.)
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If too thick, thin with a bit of chicken broth.
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Taste and season with more salt, if needed, and a generous grind of black pepper.
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Garnish with a few drops of creme fraiche, Greek yogurt or sour cream, thinned with a bit of milk.
This recipe makes a large quantity of soup. If you aren't serving a crowd, you can half the recipe or make the whole batch and freeze the soup. It's wonderful to pull out for an easy lunch at home or at work.
* If you're not familiar with coriander seed, it's actually the seed that cilantro is grown from. It tastes nothing like cilantro though. It has a citrusy flavor, often described as "warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured.1 ½ tablespoons sounds like a lot but it's not a strong taste, and along with the cilantro, is the main flavoring in this soup. You can find coriander, both whole and ground in the spice section of most any larger grocery store or online. I recommend the crushing the whole seed instead of using the ground as it's so much more flavorful.
** I love my immersion blender. It’s a real workhorse in my kitchen as I use it for all kinds of things. If you use a regular blender to puree any kind of soup, make sure to allow the soup to cool a bit before blending. This will prevent the heat from building up in the blender container and causing and explosion - not a pretty sight!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Love the photo of you and Scott by the telephone booths. Love this soup, too. Such totally gorgeous color! And I'll bet the flavor is as sunny as its hue. Thanks!
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
On this rainy day, a cozy bowl of soup is just what I'm craving for dinner. This would be perfect!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Wow Chris - this sounds delicious! Thank you so much for sharing a bit of background on the recipe and your fabulous photos of London! We have been in the mountains for nearly a week with no phone signal or internet but it felt like we were in another country. Tell your daughter Cait thanks so much for sharing this wonderful soup - can't wait to try it!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
Lovely photos of London! Sounds like a wonderful time. This soup looks too pretty to eat... almost!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Karen! You don't want to miss eating this soup - so smooth and comforting!
Debra Eliotseats says
What a great combination of flavors, Chris.. As always, your photos are amazing. I love wandering around urban areas and finding great photo opportunities. I adore the colorful "Hair by Fairy" street view!
Susan says
Your walking tour photos are wonderful, Chris! I love that beautiful climbing geranium and all the colorful buildings and the phone booths ♥ This soup sounds wonderful and the swirls of coconut milk are beautiful.
Sandra Garth says
Loving the photos and this soup looks delicious.
Elizabeth pecknold says
I was wondering about the amount of coriander seed. Is is teaspoon or tablespoon.
Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hello Elizabeth!
It is tablespoons. Thanks for asking that, I wrote a little note about coriander seed following the recipe. Enjoy!
Betty says
Your photos are beautiful! I'd love to see London one day, but until then I'll just have to travel vicariously. That soup is lovely- I've made carrot soup before, but not with coriander. Can't wait to try it! 🙂
Liz says
I've been under that same rock! But it does look and sound like an amazing combination. It's been raining the last 48 hours and soup needs to be on our menu ASAP!
cheri says
Love the pictures, looks like you guys are having a wonderful time. The buildings are so beautiful and have so much character.
This soup looks delicious, I happen to be one of those people that love cilantro, I bet this is fabulous.
Jenna says
Well, you have certainly sold me on this soup Chris! And I appreciate the tip on the cilantro, I'm not really a fan but it's intriguing to know that it changes character when simmered...it also sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, your daughter must be quite the cook! The Apple class sounds wonderful, so much to learn, so little time!
Denise says
My parents emigrated from the UK when I was an infant, so I grew up in the US but in an English household. Carrot and Coriander Soup was always a dinner party recipe and I still make it as a first course sometimes when I entertain. So funny to here it spoken of as unusual! Your recipe is a bit different from mine but I am definitely going to try it.
Denise says
Oops! To HEAR it spoken of. 🙁
Diane Stuckey says
One of our favourites yum yum. Have a good weekend Diane
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Diane, you have a great weekend as well!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
Your soups are always so pretty Chris, and I love the idea of the crushed coriander, I'm going to try that! have fun in London!!
Monique says
I have made many carrot soups my fave is w/ coconut shrimp on top..it has coconut milk in it..
I would love to try yours but Jacques and coriander are not a match made in heave..my girls yes.. so I will sned it..love the pics..love that you enjoy these things together and that cute pic of you guys peeking out:)♥
You 2 are a match made in heaven.
I bet you are having a ball w/ your family..
have enjoyed your IG pics..:)
Ginny Hartzler says
What a treat to see these gorgeous pictures of London! If people think London is dreary and dark, they need to look at your pictures. Telephone Booths! Something that almost no longer exists here anymore. I love the hair salon and the beautiful cafe. But my very favorite is the building with the aqua windows and rounded balcony. I have never seen anything like it, is it gorgeous and I want to live there! Scott left a comment on my blog, and when I visited him, his blog is still in the works. So will he be posting? I did click to follow him, His photos are always superb. Say Hi for me! Hope to see him in Blogland soon!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
So enjoying your London photos! And this soup is calling my name. I love carrot soup and the combination with coriander is right up my alley. Interestingly, I very much dislike cilantro, but love coriander (and they come from the same plant ;). Can't wait to try this.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Those Covent garden photos are very beautiful, Chris. The photo of you and Scot behind the telephone booth is kinda cute and sweet.
I had some carrot soup last week, but I love yours more because of add of cilantro!