Asian Leek and Broccoli Soup (Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup)
Delicious, but low-calorie, rich in vitamins and minerals, and dairy free. So, if you’re a practising vegan or lactose intolerant, or if you’re on a health-kick and need to find ways to up your veg intake, stick around. For those of you looking for high-protein meals to complement an active lifestyle or intensive exercise regime, there’s a variation on this recipe which will give you just the protein punch you’re after.
Ingredients
Instructions
12 steps
Chop up the broccoli into bite-sized chunks, including the stems – but peel them first.
Melt the coconut oil over a medium heat in a large stock pot.
Add the leeks, onions, and shallots and sauté until softened (5-10 minutes).
Add the curry powder and mix with the alliums and cook for a minute or so, to release the flavour.
Add the chopped broccoli and apple to the pan and mix with the curried vegetables
Add the chicken broth (add more water if the vegetables aren’t fully submerged) and turn the heat up to high to bring the soup to a boil.
Lower to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off the stove and let the soup cool slightly. Then, use a hand blender to blitz the ingredients, until you get a smooth green liquid.
Stir in the coconut milk.
If the soup is for later, stop here and allow the soup to cool before putting it in the fridge or freezer.
If eating immediately, turn the heat to high, and bring the soup back up to a boil before ladling it into bowls.
Notes: Serving Suggestions
If you don’t have leeks and broccoli in the fridge, use whatever you do have lurking in there! In general, you can make a soup out of pretty much anything – just cook your vegetables in a pan, add some broth, simmer and blend!
Photos
Notes: Ingredients
Alliums (leeks, onions, shallots)
- Allium is a type of flowering plant that includes the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion / spring onion, shallot and leek, as well as chives and hundreds of other wild species.
- The generic name ‘Allium’ is the Latin word for garlic
Kosher salt
- Also known as ‘Koshering salt’ outside of the US – it’s a variety of edible salt with a much larger grain size than some common table salt.
- Like common table salt, kosher salt consists mainly of the chemical compound sodium chloride.
- Unlike some common table salt, kosher salt typically contains no added iodine.
- But nearly all salt is kosher, including ordinary table salt – the term “kosher salt” simply refers to it being used to make meats kosher by removing surface blood (which is in accordance with the guidelines for kosher foods as written in the Torah)
Chicken broth
- It’s really simple to make your own broth – and it’s a great way of getting the most out of a whole chicken. Simply throw the carcass in a pot, along with a quartered onion, a chopped carrot, a chopped stick of celery, salt, pepper and a bay leaf or bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and leave for 3 – 4 hours.
Bone broth
- Bone broths are said to be very rich in protein
- Typically simmered for a very long period of time (often in excess of 24 hours)
- Cooking for a long time releases gelatin from collagen-rich joints and minerals from bones
- Glycine (from the gelatin) supports the body’s detoxification process and supports digestion and the secretion of gastric acids.
Coconut milk
- Made by grating the coconut flesh (the white part) and soaking in hot water. The coconut cream rises to the top and can be skimmed off. The remaining liquid is squeezed through a cheesecloth to extract a white liquid that is coconut milk.
- By repeating this process, the coconut milk becomes thinner. The thicker version is used for desserts and rich sauces. Thin coconut milk is used for cooking curries and soups.
- Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fibre, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.
- Coconut milk is lactose free, which means it’s good for vegans and people with a lactose intolerance.
- 100 ml of coconut milk includes: 154 calories, 1.4g protein, 15g fat and 3.4g carbohydrate
