This carrot tahini soup is not your basic soup. It is complex. It warms you with tahini, turmeric, and cardamom. The sweet carrot mixes with tangy tamarind. Unfamiliar, but welcoming. And we all need more of that in the world right now.
A tiny bit of tahini added here is the key. I mean, the turmeric, cardamom, and tangy tamarind are nice, too, but carrots and tahini go together really well, and I bet you haven’t thought of putting tahini in soup before. The slightly bitter edge from the sesame paste marries with the vegetal sweetness of the carrot, and the other guys just kick things up a notch. This is probably the most complex soup I’ve made. In a good way.
See the swirl of tahini there?
There’s more beneath the surface here. I’m intrigued.
Adding a little bit of brown rice for texture and chew (this soup wants you to take your time with it), and a handful of bright cilantro (because this soup is clearly inspired by herb-heavy cuisines).
Don’t you just want to try it? Just to see what it’s like? I mean, I love a nice, bright citrusy carrot soup, too. But every now and then I want to taste things that I don’t completely understand. You know what I mean? That sense of what-the-heck-is-going-on-here kind of thing. Like this. Or this. Only I stir the tahini right in, instead of using it as a swirl of topping.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- about a pound of carrots, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons of tahini
- 1 liter of water
- 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste
- 1-2 teaspoons of salt
- juice of ½ a lime
- salt and pepper, to taste
- heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the onion, and cook until softened and starting to color. Add the turmeric and cardamom and stir to coat the onions. Add the carrots, the water, and the tamarind, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
- add the tahini and 1 teaspoon of salt, and blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth.
- add the lime juice and a good grind of salt and pepper. taste, and adjust seasoning. i needed another good pinch of salt at this stage.