This summer I was fortunate to visit Kenya and Tanzania. We stayed in some beautiful lodges and ate some incredible meals, most of which started with a soup course. The soups were always delicious and somehow the perfect appetizer, despite the heat. I love carrot soup, it’s a vegetable I always have on hand. My favorite version is Curried Carrot Soup.
In Tanzania we stayed at And Beyond at Ngororo Crater and we had an amazing cookout in the Ngororo Crater and Dukkah was served alongside the soup. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend and is the Arabic word for “to crush or pound,” which is how it’s made. Recipe ingredients vary but it normally contain cumin, coriander, sesame seeds, salt, dried herbs, and nuts. The ingredients are pounded in a mortar or easier yet a food processor and ground into a coarse meal. If you’ve never had dukkah whip up a batch asap. The crunchy texture and bursts of flavors are amazing. Put some olive oil on a side plate and sprinkle with dukkah and scoop onto some warm bread. Dukkah is most delicious added to your soup as it adds the perfect punch.
Curried Carrot Soup
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
6 carrots peeled and chunked
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
greek yoghurt or sour cream for garnish
dukkah for garnish (recipe follows)
Instructions
I generally have some homemade chicken stock on hand but if you don’t, use your preferred store-bought variety. Bring stock to a boil and add carrots, turmeric and curry powder. Simmer 10-15 minutes until tender. Pour into blender and cool for 10 minutes then puree. Pour into bowls and garnish with healthy dollop of yoghurt or sour cream and large pinch of dukkah.
Notes
Dukkah
makes 3/4 cup of seasoning
Ingredients
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons black sesame seed
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp paprika powder
1/4 teaspoon nigella seeds
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp maldon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I prefer doing this in a toaster oven, alternatively you can do this on the stove top) Put the hazelnuts in a pan and put in oven for 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly toasted. Put the hazelnuts in a tea towel and rub hard to remove some of the husk, about half removed will do it. Put hazelnuts in blender and give 3 or so pulses. Put the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in oven for 2-3 minutes then add sesame and nigella seeds and pop back in for another 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add to blender with paprika peppercorns and salt. Pulse another 2-3 times for a nice crunchy mix. Pour into airtight container.
Notes
This recipe can have so many variations. Use different nuts, add chickpeas… Be creative and adjust seasonings as you wish!
