Beet Soup
Hearty and healthy beet soup with Cambodian flare
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Hand blender
- 6 quart pot
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion medium chopped
- 4 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp Angkor White Kampot Pepper fine ground
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 pounds beets
- 1 pound Japanese yam
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz) coconut cream
Garnishing Ingredients
- 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
- 6 strips bacon
- 1/4 cups parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp Salted Kampot Pepper
Instructions
Prep & cook vegetable
- Peel and cut beets into 2" cubes
- Peel and cut yam into 2" thick rounds
- Saute Onion & Garlic - Saute onion & garlic with olive oil over medium-low heat. Continue cooking until the onion and garlic are golden brown; add white Kampot pepper and salt, mix well.
- Cooking Beets and Yam - Add beets, yam and broth, bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the beets and yams become tender.
Prepare the garnish
- This can be done ahead, or done while the vegetables are cooking.
- Roasting pumpkin seeds: place seeds in a baking dish and roast at 350ºF for about 1-2 minutes until seeds start to crack and turn slightly brown, transfer into a small bowl.
- Cook bacon until crispy: line the bacon strips in a single layer onto a baking dish, bake at 350ºF for about 15 minutes; chop and sit aside.
- Reserve top of coconut cream: skim about 4 tablespoons from the top portion of the coconut cream into a small bowl and set aside.
Puree the soup and garnish
- Once the beets and yam are tender, remove from heat and add the remaining of the coconut cream. Blend the soup until smooth with hand blender, add salt to taste.
- Place each serving in a bowl, garnish with 1 teaspoon coconut cream, bacon pieces, parsley, roasted pumpkin seeds, and some Black Pearls.
Notes
Memory Lane & Detail Description of the Soup:
- Beets are one of the vegetables that are not available in Cambodia. My first taste of beets was in my high school lunch. I thought it was prepared with too much red food color, the thought blocked me from actually taste the root itself. Once I learned more about beets I was even more fascinated with its natural properties. In my effort of supporting local farmers and eating the produce of the season I came across beets to be one of the wonderful roots in CA that harvested during the summer months through fall.
- This soup has smooth texture with natural sweetness, and a deep warmth from white Kampot peppercorns. This wonderful soup is loaded with healthy ingredients. Perfect for your family and your health. The recipe is similar to pumpkin soup with only two different ingredients: beets and Japanese yam were used instead of pumpkin and garnet yam. Japanese yam in the recipe creates the smooth creamy texture for the soup, and its white flesh complements the beautiful bright red color of the beet. Coconut cream is used instead of dairy cream for the Cambodian touch and preference.
- Perfect for lunch time, served with your favorite cold sandwich or just toasted sliced baguette
