Week 12: Fruity Curry Soup

After 12 weeks of me trying to get my coworkers to try my soup, I finally gave in to a special recipe request. My friend asked me (after turning down corned beef & cabbage), "Can't you just make a curry soup?" Well, actually, yes I can!

My cookbook didn't have a recipe, so I spent some time looking online and narrowed it down to 4. Many of the curry soups were Thai and contained coconut milk, which I am not a fan, and others included lentils which sounded yummy and hearty and perfect for the weather we've been having, but in the end we choose a Caribbean style recipe which called for apples & bananas. Sounded good to me!

This soup was super easy, from ingredients to stove top. I started by peeling and chopping potatoes and apples, onion and celery, and banana. Yes, you read that correctly, this savory soup has fruit in it. I simmered the fruits and vegetables in the chicken broth until tender. I then added the yogurt, butter, salt and curry powder. And then I used my awesome immersion blender to puree and that was it! Done and done. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but I substituted non-fat yogurt for a healthier option.


The only hang up was that I've been battling a little cold and no matter how much curry I dumped in that pot, I couldn't taste a thing. But after I had more than doubled the amount of curry called for in the recipe, I decided to stop. I hope they like it! Oh, and I did feel like I wanted a little bit of chunkiness in the soup, so at the last minute, I peeled, diced and cooked another small apple and threw it in. Why not?

Besides being really easy to make, this soup was very affordable. I actually had most of the ingredients at home, but I purchased more just to not deplete my stock. I also purchased enough for a double batch, so this would be even more affordable for someone to make it at home for 4 - 6 servings. For 10 - 12 servings, this soup cost only $5.99. To be fair, I did use left over, frozen chicken broth from another week, so that would add about $3 to the cost. I would say that's still well within the budget!

I took this to work for my coworkers and have to say I was a bit nervous given my lack of tastebuds, but it was a hit. The soup smelled really good and got a lot of attention in the breakroom. The fruit really came through with the savoriness of the curry and it totally worked. I did not miss the heavy cream at all, so I think I will keep yougurt in mind for future substitutes. Sean gave it his seal of approval, which is pretty awesome considering his Caribbean roots. I ate it with wheat flat bread and it was a very satisfying lunch. I will keep this recipe in mind next time I'm craving something out of the ordinary.



Ingredients
1 large potato / $0.99/lb = $0.71 / Real Produce
2 celery stalks / $1.99 /Real Produce
1 onion / from home
1 large granny smith apple, peeled / $0.79/lb = $0.92 / Real Produce
1 unripened, firm banana / 2 @ $0.19 = $0.38 / Trader Joe's
2 cups chicken broth / from home
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt / from home
1 tablespoon butter / from home
2 teaspoons curry powder / $1.99 / Trader Joe's
salt / from home

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 - 6 (althought I made a double batch, I have included measurements for a single)
Taste:
Prep: easy, easy, easy
Cost: $5.99 (approximately $2 per serving)

Yummy!