This vegan recipe from The Hairy Bikers was inspired by Mexican tortilla soup and it has a great spicy vibe. Any sort of chilli paste is fine – we like to use chipotle for its smoky flavour and it works so well with the lime zest and juice to bring this soup to life. Also, if you fancy, you can replace half the vegetable stock with a can of coconut milk.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp coconut or olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced
250g cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-3 tsp chilli paste, to taste
Zest and juice of 1 lime
800ml vegetable stock
Sea salt and black pepper
To garnish (optional)
1 tsp oil
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
½ tsp chilli paste
Fresh coriander leaves
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and the squash or pumpkin and cook over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for several minutes until they start to caramelise.
2. Add the cauliflower and garlic and cook for a few minutes, then stir in the chilli paste and lime zest. Season well with salt and pepper. When the vegetables are well coated with the chilli paste, pour in the stock.
3. Bring it to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender – this should take about 15 minutes.
4. Blend the soup until smooth.
5. Taste and add some of the lime juice – you may only need half of it to get the right balance of acidity.
If garnishing:
1. Heat the oil in a small pan, add the pumpkin seeds and fry for a minute.
2. Loosen the chilli paste with any remaining lime juice, then add it to the pumpkin seeds.
3. Stir-fry the seeds until they look dry and roasted.
4. Serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of the pumpkin seeds and/or a few coriander leaves, if you like.
The Hairy Bikers will be appearing at Pub in the Park Festival. Tickets and further information are available at pubintheparkuk.com. Recipe extract is taken from The Hairy Bikers’ Everyday Winners by Si King and Dave Myers, published by Seven Dials in hardback at £22, photography by Andrew Hayes-Watkins.
