Coconut Carrot Soup with Cumin Oil

Senior year of college marked my transition from a by-the-book recipe follower to a casual experimenter. It was the first time I had a full kitchen, and I was eager to try my hand at new recipes.

During colder months, soups played a prominent role in my cooking saga. I remember when my roommates and I spent the morning preparing pho, and the day I learned to make chicken tortilla soup.

One soup recipe that stuck with me through the years is this creamy coconut and carrot soup. The sweet, earthy flavor of carrots paired with nutty coconut milk offered a myriad of possibilities for adaptations.

I tried a coconut carrot soup with lime, crushed peanuts, and chili sauce, and a version with paprika and brown sugar. Since coconut milk is a crucial ingredient in many Indian recipes, I set out to make an Indian-inspired adaptation.

The result is this comforting soup made with onions, garlic, carrots, coconut milk, and garam masala. A drizzling oil spiced with cumin seeds and garlic provides a flavorful crunchy finish.

How to Make Cumin Oil

The garlicky cumin oil uses the technique called blooming, also known as tadka in parts of India. The method itself is simple but requires some attention.

Start by heating the oil in a small saucepan. Use a neutral oil like canola. Once hot, add the cumin seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to sizzle, add in the sliced garlic. The garlic and cumin seeds will deepen in color.

When the garlic reaches a pale golden shade, immediately remove the oil from the heat. As long as the oil remains in the pan, the residual heat will continue cooking the spices, so transfer the cumin oil into a heatproof bowl.

The most crucial part here is to observe the oil through each step. The oil should be hot but not smoking. If at any point it feels like the cumin or garlic is darkening too quickly, immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the oil into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Burnt spices and garlic are bitter and inedible. Start over if this happens. 

If you want to learn more about the technique of blooming spices, check out this post: How to Bloom Spices.

Ingredient Substitutions

Here are some thoughtful ingredient substitutions that work:

• For a lighter version, instead of using full-fat coconut milk, use light coconut milk. Note that the soup will have a thinner consistency, so start with half the amount of vegetable stock, then add more if necessary.
• If you don't have garam masala handy or can’t find it at your local grocery store, you can make it at home.
• Not a huge fan of cumin seeds? You can omit them altogether or swap in an equal amount of brown mustard seeds.

Tasty Variations

Think of this recipe as a guide for you to mix and match the flavors to your liking. Try these simple, but tasty variations for a fun twist:     

• For a tart flavor: Stir in the juice of 1 lime into the soup just before serving.
• For a deeper ginger flavor: Thinly slice a 1/2-inch piece of ginger and add it with the garlic when making the cumin oil.

Creamy Soup Recipes

• Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
• Creamy Tomato and White Bean Soup
• Creamy Asparagus Soup
• Potato Leek Soup
• Cream of Celeriac Soup with Brussels Sprouts Chips