Soup is the perfect winter warmer for any occasion. From spicy coconut chicken noodle to a lekker local curried mince soup with vetkoek croutons, these hearty recipes will have your back all season long.
Tomato soup with anchovy-butter toast
Serves 4–6 // Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano
1 sachet (50g) tomato paste
1 Tbsp (15ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10ml) soy sauce
6 tomatoes, grated
2 cans (400g each) chopped tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
For the anchovy-butter toast
⅓ cup (76g) butter, softened
1 Tbsp (15ml) chopped chives
1 Tbsp (15ml) chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tsp (5ml) capers, finely chopped
1 tsp (5ml) wholegrain mustard
8 slices sourdough or rye bread
Method
- Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onion until soft and golden.
- Add garlic and herbs and fry for another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste, sugar and soy sauce and cook until sticky, about 1–2 minutes.
- Add grated tomato and cook for 2–3 minutes while stirring.
- Add canned tomatoes and stock, and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.
- To make the toast, combine ingredients (except bread) into a
- Toast the bread, cut into thick strips and spread with the anchovy mixture.
- Blitz soup until smooth. Season well and serve hot with warm buttered toast.
Recipe, styling & photography: Fresh Living magazine
Nourishing spicy coconut chicken noodle soup
Serves 4 // Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
2 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp turmeric
2 cloves garlic, minced
3cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
3 cups chicken stock
2 tsp brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
4 chicken breasts
4 baby marrows, sliced
340g medium egg noodles
To serve
4 eggs
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 cup coriander, leaves picked
100g mung bean sprouts
1 lime, quartered
Method
- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Fry the curry paste and turmeric for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add garlic, ginger and chilli, and fry for a minute.
- Pour in coconut milk, chicken stock and lime juice, and stir in the sugar.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken breasts, poaching them in the broth until cooked (about 20 minutes).
- Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Set aside.
- Add the baby marrows to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes until cooked.
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- Soft-boil the eggs (about 8 minutes) and peel off the shell.
To serve
- Divide cooked noodles between 4 bowls.
- Add the broth and shredded chicken.
- Top each bowl with an egg cut in half, plus chilli, coriander and sprouts.
- Add a squeeze of lime and serve hot.
Tip: For a vegetarian option, add tofu before serving (or your favourite substitute for chicken). Use thicker udon noodles if you prefer.
Recipe & styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za
Sweet potato & snoek soup with sweet potato and spring onion crisps
Serves 6 // Cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
200g snoek fillets
2 Tbsp apricot jam
Salt and pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
10g sage
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cream
½ cup chopped toasted almonds
For the crisps
2 sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Salt and pepper
Method
- Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and bake at 180°C for 1½ hours, until soft.
- Peel the skin off and cut the flesh into chunks.
- Brush the snoek fillets with apricot jam, season and drizzle with olive oil.
- Grill in the oven for 10 minutes a side, making sure not to burn them.
- Pull the flesh from the bones. Set aside.
- Fry the onions for 5 minutes until golden. Add sage and sweet potatoes, season and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the stock, cream and almonds, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Fold in the snoek.
For the crisps
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Deep-fry sweet potatoes and spring onions, a handful at a time, until golden.
- Drain on kitchen towel to crisp up and season once cooled.
- Serve soup garnished with crisps.
Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
Curried mince soup with mini vetkoek croutons and basil crisps
Serves 6 // Cooking time: 40 minutes + dough rising time
Ingredients
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium brinjals, cubed
500g beef mince
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
10g fresh coriander, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
2L beef stock
Salt and pepper
Full-cream plain yoghurt, to serve
For the vetkoek croutons
½ cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
850g cake flour
2 tsp salt
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Method
For the vetkoek dough:
- Mix water, sugar and yeast in a bowl, and leave until foamy (about 10 minutes).
- Sift flour and salt in a separate bowl. Add the yeast mixture and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little water if required.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
For the soup
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pot and fry the brinjals until browned. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and brown the mince. Remove and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Return the mince to the pot, along with coriander, curry powder, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the stock and fried brinjals. Simmer soup for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a pot, divide the vetkoek dough into 24 balls and deep-fry until golden brown all over. Remove and drain on paper towe
- Season the soup to taste and ladle into bowls.
- Top with a dollop of yoghurt and serve with mini vetkoek croutons.
Tip: Garnish the soup with basil crisps if you like – simply deep-fry 15g of basil leaves for 20 seconds and drain on paper towel to crisp up.
Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
