, Step by step

Curried Coconut and Parsnip Soup with Coriander Yoghurt

Serve with some fresh home-baked bread - perfect for lunch.

Mark Stower, Director of Food and Service.

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 65 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

450g peeled and chopped parsnips
50g chopped shallots
50ml honey
25g curry powder
20g red chilli
1 star anise
1 chopped clove of garlic
100ml olive oil
40g leeks, thinly sliced, white part only
1 small carrot
750ml of vegetable stock (use 2 stock cubes)
200ml coconut milk
100g peeled and diced potatoes
100g low fat natural yoghurt

Method

Step 1

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the shallots, carrots, garlic, curry powder and leeks. Cover with a lid and soften without colour over a medium heat.
Step 2

Place the parsnips into a roasting tray with the honey and 50ml of the olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Step 3

Add the parsnips to the saucepan with the potatoes, star anise and chilli and stir in the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and cook for 40 minutes.
Step 4

Whilst this is cooking, chop the coriander and add to the natural yoghurt and refrigerate for later.
Step 5

After 40 minutes, allow the soup to cool a little, then remove the star anise then liquidise until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust to consistency with more vegetable stock if the soup is too thick.
Step 6

Place into warmed soup bowls and serve with a dollop of the coriander yoghurt in the centre of the soup.

Nutrition

Root vegetables such as parsnips, swedes, turnips and carrots are great British ingredients that are an important part of a healthy balanced diet.

Parsnips are a good source of various vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and potassium.

Root vegetables also make excellent ingredients for tasty and nutritious winter soups and are a good way of getting children to eat more vegetables. Any mixture of root vegetables works well in soups, but Mark’s parsnip recipe this month creates a different oriental flavour.

A portion of Mark’s Coconut and Parsnip Soup provides one of the recommended five portions a day. Unfortunately though, even if you have double portions of this delicious soup, it only counts as one of the five, as you need to eat a variety of different types of vegetables and fruit – raw or cooked, frozen or dried – each day.

Parsnips are also delicious grated in salads, instead of carrots, or combined with swedes or carrots for a tasty mash, or just roasted in a little oil.

DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST