Creamy Mexican lime, chilli and carrot soup with smashed avo toast
When I’m in the mood for something comforting yet nourishing, I can’t go past this creamy Mexican lime, chilli and carrot soup.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions roughly diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 500 g carrots scrubbed clean and trimmed (look for smaller carrots)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves optional
- ½ cup basmati rice
- 5 cups fresh chicken stock check label if eating gluten-free
- 1-2 small small green chillies roughly chopped, including seeds (see Tips)
- 3-4 tablespoons lime juice from 2-3 limes
To serve
- 3 tablespoons sour cream omit for dairy free or use coconut yoghurt
- fresh coriander to garnish
- toast topped with smashed avocado use gluten-free bread if eating gluten-free
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add olive oil and onion, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic. Slice carrots and add to pot with salt, thyme (if using), rice and stock. Cover and bring to the boil.
- Remove lid, stir well then turn the soup down to a medium simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
- Once the carrot is cooked through, the soup can be puréed. Pour soup into a colander sitting over a bowl. Tip the solids into a blender. Add the chilli (see Tips), lime juice and a little of the liquid from the bowl. Purée until smooth.
- Pour the puréed soup back into the pot along with remaining liquid in bowl. Reheat then season to taste. Thin down with water or extra stock if desired.
- Serve with a dash of sour cream (optional), a sprinkle of coriander and avocado toast on the side.
Top tips
- Short green chillies can be very hot, so handle with care and wear rubber gloves when cutting. If you don’t want it too spicy, don’t include the seeds.
- Start with 1 raw chilli in the purée. Taste to check the heat level and add more if you like it spicy.
Notes
It gets its creamy consistency from basmati rice and its zingy flavour and bright colour from plenty of carrots, lime and spicy green chillies.
One of the things I love the most is eating it with smashed avo on toast (kind of like your traditional tomato soup and cheese toasty, but better!). Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be easily tweaked to suit a range of diets. Dairy-free? Skip the sour cream and serve with a drizzle of coconut cream. Vegetarian? Swap chicken stock for a good vegetable stock. Gluten-free? Use gluten-free bread or skip the toast all together – it’s still amazing, I promise.
This recipe is from the June/July issue of NADIA magazine.