Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Happy very Belated Thanksgiving! My computer was out of commission for a few weeks and I didn't realize how much I would miss it until it was gone! 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast of Braised Lamb Shanks, a Double Smoked (half leg of) Ham, Lemon Olive Oil Roasted (home grown) Sweet Potatoes, Wilted Fresh (garden) Kale and Sweet Onions with Blackberry/Ginger Balsamic Vinegar, the last garden Zucchini stir fried with Mushrooms, Fermented Dill Pickles and Pickled Beets. We were already stuffed, so dessert was kept light with a Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake and Lemon Curd made in the Instant Pot. 

It's that time of year again, when grocery stores carry the super ginormous, orange fleshed sweet potato. Now that the holiday has passed, the prices have dropped, so if you have a cool storage area, now is the time to stock up. These huge tubers are great for dehydrated dog treats, soups and Sweet Potato Salad. I made a double batch of the recipe below for my freezer and look forward to it warming and nourishing us through the upcoming monsoon season! This recipe is easily converted to vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock and diced, cooked sweet potato instead of chicken... and omit the whipping cream.

THAI SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH CHICKEN         Yield: 8 servings
This soup is a great way to use those really huge sweet potatoes now available at low prices. It is easily converted to vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock and diced, cooked sweet potato instead of chicken and omit the whipping cream.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (8-10 cups diced)
1 onion, diced

Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 generous Tbsp. organic coconut oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
5-6 cups flavorful chicken stock
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 fresh lemongrass stalk
2 kefir lime leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
1 can (400 ml) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2-1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, optional
1/2 cup whipping cream, optional
1-1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken meat...
       or cooked, diced sweet potato

In a large stock pot melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté until softened and fragrant but do not brown. Clean the outer leaves then pound the bulb end of the lemongrass with a skillet or flat meat tenderizer. Add the chicken stock, cayenne, lemongrass, Kefir lime leaves, salt, pepper and diced sweet potato. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes soften.

Remove the lemongrass and Kefir lime leaves. Use an immersion blender and purée the mixture until smooth. Add the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer, stirring often... do not boil!
Stir in the cream if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary with lime juice, powdered ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into servings then divide the chicken meat equally to each serving.
  
Till next time... Bon Appétit!

Photo and recipe by Sally Rae