Thai Sweet Potato Soup

The weather isn't really quite cool enough for soup yet, but I'm tired of the heat and am looking forward to winter food.

Winter is the time where we use the slow cooker that teases all day with it's aromas of something delicious. Or the quick and tasty soups whipped up in no time in the Thermomix.

Tonight's is one of the latter, a fast and delicious soup with flavours from Thailand. Although I'm unable to buy fresh lemongrass, coriander or lime leaves, those essences of Thai food, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I always keep those tubes of Gourmet Garden Herb Pastes in my fridge. Basil, Coriander, Chilli, Lemongrass, even Parsley (for when my parsley has gone to seed in the garden) all mean I have my favourite flavours at my fingertips. My other trick is to buy the fresh Kaffir lime leaves when you see them and throw them in the freezer. They freeze dry and you can use them as you would dried bay leaves.

I was planning on making a plain pumpkin soup for tea tonight, but changed my mind when I spied a large sweet potato in the local store and that was it. I made this in the Thermomix. If you don't have a Thermomix, then make it on the stove, but it will take a lot longer and you'll need a stick blender to process it at the end.

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

1 onion, peeled and quartered
a little oil
800g sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 Tbsp coriander paste
1/4 Tsp Chilli Paste (or to taste)
1 Tbsp Lemongrass Paste
2 tsp Basil Paste
1 litre water
2 tsp chicken stock powder
3 Tbsp Fish sauce
two or three Kaffir Lime Leaves
1 small can coconut milk

Place onion into TM bowl and chop a few seconds. speed 5. Add oil and saute for 3 minutes, Varoma, speed 1. Add all the pastes and saute for a further minute on Varoma.
Add sweet potato and saute for 2 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.
Add water, stock powder, sauce and lime leaves and cook 18 minutes, Varoma, speed 1. Place the basket on top to prevent any overflow. Remove lime leaves.
Add coconut milk and place MC on top. Blend by slowly increasing speed up to 8 or 9 for a few seconds, holding MC in place.

Pour into bowls and squirt a dob of Coriander Paste into soup. Swirl with a toothpick or skewer.

Add more water if soup is too thick.