This beautiful purple soup is made with roasted cauliflower. Crispy chickpeas and lemon juice are taking it to a new level of deliciousness! Gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.
1large head of purple cauliflowerany other cauliflower will work fine too torn into small florets
1tspof coriander seedsif short on time you can use ground coriander
1tspof cumin seedsif short on time you can use ground cumin
3garlic clovesoptional, see note
3-4tbspof extra virgin olive oil
salt to season
Crispy Chickpeas:
1tin of organic chickpeasdrained (please use only BPA free variety)
4tbspof extra virgin olive oil
1tspof smoked paprika
1/4tspof cayenne pepperoptional
pinchof salt
The Soup:
roasted cauliflower
1brown oniondiced
4cupsof vegetable stock
3/4cupcashew nutssoaked
dukkah to serve
juice of one lemon or more if desired
fresh coriander leaves to serveoptional
Instructions
Start by soaking the cashew nuts in hot water (not boiling) for 30 minutes
Roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small frying pan without oil on a medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the seeds start to smoke. Take them out of the pan immediately and put them into the mortar. Grind the seeds with a pestle. You can skip this step and use ground spices instead, however, the roasted spices will take the taste of this soup to the next level
Place cauliflower florets and garlic cloves onto the baking tray, sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and the spices (coriander and cumin). Toss the florets well, using your hands is fine. Bake for 20 minutes at 200'C (400'C Fahrenheit)
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan, add chickpeas, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Fry the chickpeas on medium heat until they are crispy and nice and golden. You can leave them in the frying pan until you are ready to use them. This way they won't get soggy and stay nice and crunchy
In a medium-size saucepan heat some extra virgin olive oil, add diced onions and a pinch of salt and cook the onions until they have softened, for about 5 minutes
When the cauliflower is ready very carefully transfer it into the saucepan with onions, add 4 cups of vegetable stock and bring it to a gentle simmer. DO NOT boil the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes. The cauliflower must be very soft by now
VERY CAREFULLY transfer the soup into a kitchen blender, add the cashew nuts and blend until the soup is smooth. You might need to blend your soup in batches depending on the size of your blender. A hand blender will work well too. PLEASE BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF.
Add lemon juice. When you add lemon juice, your soup will turn pink. This is absolutely normal and looks beautiful too. Mix.
Divide the soup between bowls, add generous portions of chickpeas, sprinkle with dukkah, and garnish with coriander leaves. See NOTE
Enjoy!
Notes
Soak the cashew nuts in hot, but not boiling water for at least 30 minutes. The nuts are responsible for the creaminess in this soup and are essential. You can use 1/2 cup of cooking cream if you prefer.Roasted chickpeas are an essential part of this soup. Make sure you still have enough to serve, they are so tasty I have to hide them from my boys.I said it about chickpeas, but dukkah is also a vital part of this soup. Use it generously. My boys were reluctant to try it to start with but absolutely loved it in the soup. Yes, lemon juice will turn the soup pink. Why does the colour of the soup change when you sprinkle lemon juice over it? It’s all to do with the science of colours and pH, a measure of acidity. Food chemistry :)