Full Circle Digital Magazine August 2013

W A R M W I N T E R S O U P R E C I P E • C O M P E T I T I O N The weather is just perfect for cooking delicious curries, warming you from within. The blend of spices like tumeric, cumin, garlic and ginger are all super spices, with amazing health benefits, so eat lots of them this winter. Let’s Cook! Chunky Butternut, Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onions, lemon grass, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, curry paste, pepper, turmeric and brown sugar. Cook slowly until the mixture becomes fragrant – about 8 to 10 minutes. Add a little chicken stock to prevent the spices from burning, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the rest of the chicken stock and simmer until the onions are soft. Liquidise until smooth. If the base is too thick, add another cup of liquid and bring the stock to a gentle boil before adding the balance of the ingredients. Add the butternut and sweet potato, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the coconut milk and chicken, and simmer till the vegetables are fork tender. Stir in some chopped coriander and serve. Now just before you think I have left out the one ingredient that gives all curries their warmth, I have not! Yes, I’m talking about the wonderful chilli! A little bit more about this wonderful fruit, yes it is a fruit: The chilli was introduced to the rest of the world by Spanish and Portuguese explorers during the 16th and 17th centuries and now they are widely grown in most parts of the world, as an important commercial crop. It saddens me, though, that I have never been able to find Kashmiri chillies in South Africa, but I came across them whilst I was in Dubai recently and almost cleared the supermarket shelves. I have enough frozen to last me a few years. They give a Rogan Josh a wonderful deep red colour without the heat. Chillies come in all shapes and sizes, varying in their strength, from so hot they will take the top of your head off, to mild and gentle, but always filled with flavour. The heat that sets your palette on fire comes from the seeds, so scrape them out if you can’t take too much. They can become very addictive. I know this. I am a victim of chilli addiction! But it is not all bad because they give you lots of vitamins C and A, vitamin B-6, copper, potassium, manganese, iron, magnesium and lots, lots more. Chilies have a strong spicy taste that comes to them from the active alkaloid compounds: capsaicin, capsanthin and capsorubin. Whether you use them in a fresh or dried form, they all have a flavour of their own. I have eaten curries in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Singapore and India, and they all taste different, even though they contain many of the same ingredients. They have all been beyond delicious and they have all contained chilli. Why don’t you add a little spice to your life and curry favour with your family this winter? I love to stir a few spoons of cardamom rice into my soup when I feel like real comfort food! Serves 4 The base 3 tablespoons sunflower oil 2 onions, finely chopped 1 stick lemon grass, soft centre only, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons grated ginger 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon green or red Thai chilli paste freshly ground black pepper ¾ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1½ litres chicken stock The balance 1 cup cubed butternut 1 cup cubed sweet potato 1 can coconut milk 2 chicken breasts, thinly diced fresh coriander, chopped Sweet pot atoes Did you know ? Be one of five lucky readers and win A Taste of Thai product hamper to warm up your winter table. are low in fat, high in vitamin E, antioxidants, iron, minerals, beta-carotene, potassium and lots more. © Jenny Morris 2013 Cooking with Jenny Morris FULL CIRCLE DIGITAL MAGAZINE AUGUST 2013 CO M P T I TI O N E

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