Ingredients

• 150g/5½oz unsalted butter
• 150g/5½oz onions
• chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 500g/1lb 2oz carrots
• peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Madras curry powder
• 300ml/½ pint chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• to serve

Directions

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and sweat the onion
• garlic and carrots
• with a pinch of salt
• for 5-6 minutes
• or until softened.
• Meanwhile toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Add the toasted cumin seeds and Madras curry powder to the vegetables and cook a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the stock
• bouquet garni and 500ml/18fl oz water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove the bouquet garni
• then blend the soup in a blender until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a clean saucepan and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve
• ladle the soup in serving bowls and sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander.