Carrot Ginger Soup

Peel and roughly chop 1½ pounds of carrots into 1-inch pieces. No need for precision here — it all gets blended at the end.

Dice 1 medium onion and mince 4 cloves of garlic. Peel a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger and grate it on a microplane or mince it finely. Fresh ginger is not optional here — ground ginger gives a different, duller flavor.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Add ½ teaspoon of ground cumin and stir to toast it briefly in the oil.

Add the chopped carrots and toss them in the aromatics. Pour in 4 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a steady simmer, cover, and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until the carrots are completely tender when pierced with a fork. They should yield with no resistance.

Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pot until completely smooth. Alternatively, carefully transfer in batches to a standing blender — fill only halfway, hold the lid down firmly, and blend. Hot liquids expand.

Return the smooth soup to low heat. Stir in one 400ml can of full-fat coconut milk. This adds richness and rounds out the brightness of the ginger.

Season with ¾ teaspoon of salt, black pepper, a small drizzle of honey to balance the spice, and the juice of half a lemon.

The lemon is the finishing acid that makes all the other flavors come alive.

Taste and adjust everything — more ginger for heat, more lemon for brightness, more salt for depth. Serve hot, garnished with a swirl of coconut milk and a few fresh herbs if you have them.