Sweet Potato, Coconut & Chicken Soup

📝 Ingredients

• 800 g sweet potato (2 large ones, about 400 g each)
• 3 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 2 garlic cloves + 15 g fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the vegetables, 1 for the chicken)
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 chicken stock cube + 800 ml hot water
• 1 tin coconut milk (400 ml)
• 4 chicken breasts (about 125 g each)
• 1 lime
• 15 g fresh coriander
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan with lid
• Frying pan
• Stick blender
• Peeler
• Fine grater
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel the sweet potato and carrots, then cut them into roughly 2 cm dice so they all cook at the same rate. Slice the onion, finely chop the garlic and grate the peeled ginger (scrape off the skin with the edge of a teaspoon – it's easier than with a knife).
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 4 min, stirring, until translucent, then add the garlic, ginger and curry powder. Stir for 1 min, just long enough for the spices to release their aroma: any longer and they'll burn and turn bitter.
3. Add the diced sweet potato and carrot, then stir well to coat them in the spices. Crumble the stock cube into the 800 ml of hot water and pour into the pan: the liquid should just cover the vegetables.
4. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 min. The vegetables are done when the tip of a knife slides in with no resistance at all; if they're still firm, give them another 5 min.
5. Meanwhile, cut the chicken breasts into 2 cm dice and season with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 6 to 7 min, turning, until golden on all sides and white all the way through. Set aside.
6. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the coconut milk. Blend with a stick blender until perfectly smooth. To avoid splashes, keep the blender head fully submerged and only lift it out once the motor has stopped.
7. Return to a low heat, add the chicken and warm through for 3 min without boiling. Squeeze the lime and add the juice, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a little hot water.
8. Chop the coriander at the last minute so it keeps all its fragrance. Divide the soup and chicken between warmed bowls and scatter over the coriander just before serving.