Turmeric Sweet Potato Black Pepper Soup {Gluten Free, Nut Free}

You will fall in love with this Turmeric Sweet Potato and Black Pepper Soup for it looks, deep flavours and silky smoothness. This soup is just what you need on a cold day - it is a hug in a bowl!

★★★★★

At 209 calories, approximately, per portion (see the detailed break up of nutrition values) this one pot meal in a bowl is a great option for those of us who are looking for healthy lunch ideas for weight loss and on a budget! I serve this along with a simple greens stir fry and sautéed bottle gourd (calabash) to make a wholesome grain free meal.

Goodness of Turmeric and Black Pepper

"Pepper your turmeric" - you must have heard this phrase. Both turmeric and black pepper are power houses of health benefits on their own. These two spices become even more powerful when they come come together in a dish - like all the super heroes rolled into one (are you thinking of Avengers?!). Turmeric, the bright golden coloured spice, has been used in Indian cooking for hundreds of years. It's main ingredient is curcumin which gives turmeric its bright yellow hue and healing properties. There is one problem though - Curcumin on its own is not easily absorbed into the blood! This is the point where our other hero Black Pepper enters the stage! Tadaaa! Black pepper has certain properties that helps the curcumin of turmeric to be absorbed to our system. Hence the phrase "Pepper your Turmeric"! Read more about the many health benefits of these incredible spices here.

Introduce tastes and flavour to your child with this dish

This warming soup is a good way of introducing flavours to your child. Sweet potatoes are good for babies from as little as 8 months. However since this recipe has black pepper in it, I recommend this for children from the age of 12 months. You can, of course, moderate the quantity of black pepper for your baby and make it part of the weaning food. Your child will love the layers of flavours that come through in this soup. The balance of sweetness combined with the tang and the warmth of the black pepper will hit the right spot for your child!

Few things to bear in mind when making this healthy soup for your baby

1. I recommend that you use fresh stock if you are making this recipe to your baby.
2. If you do want to use stock cube as I have done in this recipe, make sure you use something that is low in salt, has no added MSG and is yeast free.
3. Reduce the amount of black pepper. Since we are adding the pepper at the very end of the cooking process, it is easier for you to adjust the quantity to suit your baby's palate.

Have you made this recipe for your baby? Did she like it? Do share with me on Instagram. I would love to hear from you. 

Want to make this dish Vegan?

You can do that easily. Just one ingredient and voila! To make this dish vegan, simply cut out the single cream and instead add full fat coconut milk (the tinned variety) to it.

Step by Step Instructions for making Turmeric Black Pepper Soup

The base of this recipe is just 3 main ingredients - sweet potatoes, onion and garlic. I use brown onions for this recipe instead on the red ones. The red onions, I feel, will add their own colour to the dish and I do not want that for this dish. The hero of this dish is the turmeric and I want the other ingredients to only add their goodness and flavour - not their colour!

1. Peel and chop these into small (ish) pieces - for even and faster cooking time.

2. Chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes. Remember to keep the chopped sweet potatoes in water till it is time to add them to the dish. Once cut, sweet potatoes tend to turn brownish quite quickly.

3. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan/ soup pot on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and over medium heat till they are translucent and shiny. Make sure they DO NOT change colour - you want them just soft, translucent and shiny. Adding some salt at this stage will help achieve this.

4. Add the sweet potatoes, stock cube (or fresh stock), half the quantity of the hot water, remaining salt and turmeric. Mix well, cover and cook. If you are using fresh stock, then you do not use to add any more water. You will need 1250 ml of fresh stock.

5. Cook till the sweet potatoes are really soft - they should turn into mush with the slightest pressure from the ladle.

6. When the veggies are soft and cooked through, remove from heat and blend it into a smooth, soupy texture. I use my favourite hand blender to do so. Add the remaining hot water (or fresh stock) and blend some more.

7. Return the soup back to the heat - on high till it comes back to a boil and then turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

8. While it is simmering, add the ground black pepper, juice of lime and single cream. Mix well and continue to simmer for a couple of more minutes.

Note: If you want to make this a vegan dish, just replace the single cream with full fat coconut milk.

9. Turn the heat off. Cover and rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm with fried onions and bread croutons or your favourite garnishes.

Have you tried this recipe? Do let me know in the comments below or on social media. 

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Nutrition Values (approximate) for Turmeric Sweet Potato Black Pepper Soup

Note: The information shown is based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.5g	11%
Saturated Fat 1.9g	9%
Cholesterol 4mg	1%
Sodium 665mg	29%
Total Carbohydrate 32.1g	12%
Dietary Fiber 5.1g	18%
Total Sugars 7.5g
Protein 2.9g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 64mg	5%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 545mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet.

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