Plant Based Curry Cauliflower Soup

Creamy, rich and charred to perfection, our Plant Based Curry Cauliflower Soup is the ultimate reset dish with its smooth texture and flavour.

Whether it's the start of the new year, the end of summer, or days in between when you simply need to eat a lighter, detoxifying meal, Philip and I always turn to plant based recipes.

Exactly what its name suggests, plant based recipes focus on whole, plant foods such as fruits, veggies, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds, and removing animal products including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, gelatin and other animal byproducts.

For us, opting for the occasional plant based recipe after major holidays or seasons of indulging helps us reset and find comfort in dishes made with ingredients found close to the earth. And one of the easiest ways to highlight plant based ingredients is through recipes like soups and stews.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. – Michael Pollan

Using plant based bases such as vegetable broth or coconut milk adds richness and heartiness, and is a delicious way to mimic flavours of meat and creamy textures found in dairy products.

Another way to add flavour and depth to a plant based recipe is through cooking techniques and spices. Roasting vegetables in the oven caramelizes the natural sugars, releasing an elevated depth of flavour.

Our Plant Based Curry Cauliflower Soup, not only calls for roasted cauliflower tossed in curry (honestly, we could even eat these as a side dish), but also roasted garlic bulbs, oozing with elevated depth of flavour.

Creamy, rich and charred to perfection, our Plant Based Curry Cauliflower Soup is the ultimate reset dish filled with layers of flavour. Tossing cauliflower florets in curry, roasting them and bulbs of garlic, and adding them to a rich based of vegetable stock and coconut milk, every ingredient thoughtfully comes together to create an exceptional smooth texture and flavour without the use of dairy and meat.

How to Make Plant Based Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Prepare the Garlic for Roasting

Garlic burns easily, and when it is burnt it has a very bitter flavour. To roast the garlic to perfection without burning it, I like to create a tin foil pack to house a whole garlic bulb, causing it to steam and caramelize without going too far. Start by cutting off the top of the bulb to expose the flesh of each clove. Place a square piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Gather the edges of the foil and create a pouch of the garlic bulb, ensuring there is a little space around the garlic to breath. Set aside until we roast the cauliflower.

Prepare and Season the Cauliflower

Whenever you're roasting vegetables in the oven, you want to try to have them all around the same thickness so that they cook evenly and have the same doneness. With the cauliflower, start by removing any leaves, then breaking off florets. Smaller florets can stay whole, while larger ones can be sliced about a half inch thick lengthwise. Place the cauliflower in a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat then sprinkle with the curry powder and chili flakes.

Roast your Garlic and Cauliflower

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the roasting pan with cauliflower in the centre of your oven and place the garlic pouch directly on the oven rack next to the roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, turning the cauliflower after 20 minutes. The cauliflower edges will be golden brown and caramelized.

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Soup Base

While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the soup base by mixing together the vegetable stock and coconut milk in a large soup pot. Place on medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer until adding the vegetables.

Cook and Blend

Once the garlic and cauliflower are roasted, they can be added to the soup. For the cauliflower, reserve a few nice florets for garnish (if desired) then add the remaining directly into the soup pot. The garlic will need to cool for about 10 minutes so you can handle it without burning your fingers. Hold the garlic bulb upside down over a small bowl and squeeze it to pop the cloves out from the skin. Remove any skin that's in the bowl, then add the garlic to the soup. Allow the soup to simmer with the garlic and cauliflower for 10-15 minutes then blend using an immersion blender. Season the soup with ½ tsp of salt and black pepper, then taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.