08 Jun Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Gluten-Free Scones

This is a special guest post by Ankie Niesing of Wooden Spoon Kitchen (find her on Facebook or Instagram). Ankie is a total foodie, cooking school owner and food stylist, and full-time feeder of her little family. She doesn’t follow any specific diet yet but is on a journey to eat cleaner and greener.

It is June and winter is officially here. Celebrate the cooler weather by making a big pot of soup and freezing the leftovers for when you don’t have time to cook.

I could happily eat Thai food every week. All of the beautiful flavours combine in a not-too-spicy creamy coconut milk sauce topped with loads of coriander. I have made all kinds of versions of Thai curry but have never experimented with a Thai soup.

I had plenty of sweet potatoes from my humble vegetable patch but wanted to combine it with butternut’s vibrant orange colour. The sweet potatoes also give the soup a sweeter undertone. Remember to only use red Thai red curry paste and not green because otherwise your soup might turn out more muddied brown than vivacious orange.

Serve with gluten-free cheesy scone bites. A quick and easy recipe and so tasty, they are also great for lunchboxes or served with a variety of delicious toppings.

THAI SWEET POTATO AND BUTTERNUT SOUP 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3cm fresh ginger, minced
• 2-3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 500g butternut squash, chopped
• 500g sweet potatoes, chopped
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• A few drops of fish sauce
• Salt to taste
• Fresh lime juice

To Serve

• Fresh coriander
• ½ cup toasted coconut flakes
• Fresh chillies, sliced

METHOD

1. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan and add onion, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until the onion is translucent and soft
2. Add curry paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add butternut, sweet potato, coconut milk and vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer until vegetables are soft.
4. Blend until soup is smooth and silky.
5. Add fish sauce, salt and lime juice to taste.
6. Serve with plenty of fresh coriander, coconut flakes and chilli.

GLUTEN-FREE CHEESY SCONE BITES

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup self-raising rice flour + ¼ cup brown rice flour
• ¼ cup almond meal
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 100g butter
• 1-2 spring onions, chopped
• 1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• ½ cup buttermilk
• Milk

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients, then rub in butter with your fingertips until mixture is crumbly.
3. Add spring onions and cheese.
4. Add buttermilk a little at a time to form a soft dough.
5. When the dough is easy to work with and not too sticky, roll out on a floured surface into 1cm thickness and cut out circles with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass.
6. Use a pastry brush to brush milk across the surface of each scone and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.