cashew ? carrot soup

[Anne]

I recently enjoyed a ginger, carrot, cashew soup and am trying to recreate it. I can get the ginger carrot part but am baffled by the cashew. The soup was a very velvety puree, no chunks. Do I use cashew butter? raw cashews? roasted cashews? I am guessing I add them at the last minute in place of the peanut butter and then grab my stick blender.

I think this is an old CL recipe but I could not find it when I searched.

SICHUAN CARROT SOUP used last of old carrots, color not best but taste good

1 tsp. vegetable oil, preferably canola oil
1 onion, chopped used 1 large
1 stalk celery, chopped didn’t have- added chopped cilantro stems
1 clove garlic, minced used 6 small – could have more
3 cups defatted reduced-sodium chicken stock used 9 tsp stock in 6 cups water
1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped about 3 lbs
1 3/4-inch piece of gingerroot, peeled and cut into thin slices used about 4tbs grated – could use more
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red-pepper flakes used 1.5 tsp - hot
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice started with 6, used more
1 1/2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce used about 4.5
1 1/2 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter used about 4.5
2-3 tsp. sugar used 5
1 tsp. sesame oil used 3
1 cup skim milk used 3
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped scallions for garnish these went better than the cilantro

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add chicken stock, carrots, ginger and red-pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the carrots are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Pour the mixture through a strainer set over a large bowl. Transfer the solids to a food processor or blender and add lime juice, soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar and sesame oil; puree, adding some of the cooking liquid as needed for a smooth consistency.

3. Transfer the puree to the bowl of cooking liquid and stir in milk. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
(The soup can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Garnish each portion with scallions.
Makes about 5 cups, serves 6.
125 calories per serving: 6 g protein, 4 g fat, 16 g carbohydrate; 594 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesteral

[donleyk]

FWIW~I can't imagine a stick blender getting the cashews that finely mashed up. I would at least put them thru a FP all by themselves then add it to the soup.

[Anne]

Good point. I don't have an fp but I could put the cashews in the blender, along with the cilantro stems, onions, etc., with about a cup of soup to get them really smooth. The carrots mash well with the stick blender but the harder items do need a bit more processing.

[KCSoccer]

Anne,

What a coincidence! This past week I tried Pacific Natural Foods Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup -- I loved the soup, but didn't love the price ($3 for 16 oz. container). The ingredients are pretty straightforward: Filtered water, carrots, coconut, evaporated cane juice, ginger pulp, rice starch, cashews, sea salt, roasted garlic, onion powder, spices, paprika ? for color.

I googled recipes, found this one, which looks similar. It uses a blender to make the soup smooth. I haven't tried it yet, but when I do, I'll omit most of the spices (it seems curry-like and the original soup didn't have that flavor), replace some of the water with light coconut milk, add a touch of honey or agave nectar. Also, I'd like to make this for a friend who has nut allergies, so I'll replace the cashews with tahini, which should give it the same rich nuttiness.

[MaryH]

If the soup you had was velvety in texture, I'm willing to bet it was cashew butter that was used. Grinding the cashews in a food processor before adding to me seems to be the only way you get a very smooth soup (that and then running it through a sieve).

[hAndyman]

When I saw a recipe for Cream of Pumpkin soup in a local fruit & veggie store's flyer yesterday I thought of your request, Anne, and put it aside. It was a simple soup with 6 cups cubed pumpkin, 3/4 cup cashew cream, 1 cup water, 1 green onion, and a pinch of nutmeg; it was blended until smooth, then served at room temp. or warm to the touch.
The Cashew Cream was made using 1/2 cup cashews soaked overnight in 3/4 cup water; 1/2 Tbs maple syrup and 1/4 tsp vanilla were added and it was pureed until nice and creamy. 3/4 cup of the cashew cream was added to the soup and the rest was used as a decorative drizzle.
Just another possibility for your consideration.

[Anne]

Thanks for all the help - this gives me a lot more options to try. It is definitely fall outside and that means soup!