Vegetable Curry Soup (Raw or with lightly-braised vegetables)

Vegetable Curry Soup (Raw or with lightly-braised vegetables)

This raw soup ischock-full of anti-inflammatory ingredients is excellent for a break-the fast evening meal, or any time you want a warm curry soup. I’ve adapted the recipe from Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo’s “Eat your Way out of Pain: Anti-inflammatory Food Charts and Recipe Sampler” article. (1)

The veggies are not cooked, but rather ‘salt-bruised’ to break down the cell walls and release the nutrients hidden inside the cells.

Alternately, you can lightly braise the diced veggies: sauté lightly in hot olive or coconut oil, then add water, cover with lid and let steam for 1 – 2 minutes. Braising makes the minerals more bio-available, but may disturb some of the anti-inflammatory nutrients; and of course, it is no longer an all-raw soup.

Coconut butter is made from dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut (see TheKitchn (2) for instructions, if you cannot find it at your local grocer. Substituting with coconut oil or coconut milk will not yield the same result. Another option is to use raw or lacto-fermented dairy butter.

The original recipe did not indicate how many servings this makes, and to some extend, it depends on the amount of diced veggies you use. I’ve not yet tried this but my guess is it makes at least 2 servings.

Ingredients & Equipment

• Fresh vegetables, diced:
• choose from broccoli, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, cabbage or other greens
• unrefined sea salt
• Soup base:
• 1 cup almonds, pre-soaked
• 2 cups filtered water
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 Tbsp raw or lacto-fermented dairy butter or coconut butter (2)
• 4 carrots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp ground ginger or 1-inch piece of fresh ginger-root
• 1 tsp ground turmeric or ½-inch piece fresh turmeric root
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder, or garam masala
• 2 lime leaves, or 1 tsp grated zest of fresh lime
• ¼ freshly-squeezed lime juice (from 2 – 3 fresh limes)
• 1 – 2 Tbsp kombu or kelp powder
• Equipment:
• food processor or knife
• Blender

Method

1. Place diced vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and massage well until the vegetables begin to wilt and reduce in size. This process breaks down the cell walls and makes the vegetables not only more digestible, but tastier and more tender as well.
2. Blend all ingredients except chopped vegetables to make soup base. Adjust seasonings to desired level of spiciness.
3. Pour base over vegetables and serve.

References

1. “Eat your Way out of Pain: Anti-inflammatory Food Charts and Recipe Sampler,” by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo. [I got this guide when I signed up for one of her seminars. I do not have a link to the guide]
2. The Kitchn on coconut butter: thekitchn.com/how-to-make-coconut-butter-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-166405