Serves 4 – 6 people

Ingredients

1 kg butternut – peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 medium onion – peeled and diced
1 large carrot – peeled and chopped
1 large celery stalk- thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh thyme – destemmed (optional)
1 litre vegetable stock
¾ tsp Chai Spice blend
⅓ tsp Golden Spice blend or ground turmeric spice
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp Olive oil

Method

In a mixing bowl, add the butternut, thyme, salt, pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil and toss to combine. Lay flat and roast at 180C in the oven on a preferred baking tray (approx 30 min) or air fryer (20 – 25 min).

Separately in a large pot, add the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots and saute for approx 10 minutes.

Once the butternut has finished roasting, add to the soup pot with your vegetable stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender, blend to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of coconut milk and fresh thyme (optional).

Side Notes

As mentioned in previous recipes, leftover coconut milk can be frozen into ice cubes and kept when needed in lattes, smoothies and soups for example.

The butternut can be cooked in various ways and roasting is not essential but adds a gorgeous depth of flavour in this simple soup.

If using an air fryer, the roasting may need to be done in batches, depending on the size of the air fryer – this step can be prepared in advance.

The recipe can easily be halved to make a smaller batch.