Recipe: Sweet Potato and Sesame Soup with Coconut Pesto

Sweet Potato and Sesame Soup with Coconut Pesto
Makes 20 servings

300g/10 oz red onions
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp light olive oil
20g/1oz butter
3 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp palm sugar
300ml/10fl oz water
750g/1lb10 oz sweet potatoes
750g/1lb10 oz carrots
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
7.5ml/1 tsp chilli flakes
800ml/27fl oz tinned coconut milk
50g/2oz chopped coriander
15ml/3 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
lemon, juice only
coconut, grated and toasted, for garnish
100g/3 oz sweet potatoes, lightly poached and diced

Coconut Pesto
2.5ml/ tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp soy sauce
50g/2oz coriander leaves including stalks
pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp freshly grated coconut
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp pine nuts
lemon juice, maldon salt and pepper to season
sunflower oil (to get consistency)

Sweat the onions, garlic and ginger in oil and butter. Add sherry and sugar, and sweat further for 5 minutes until it goes thick and sticky. Add water. Add sweet potatoes, carrots, fish sauce, tomato paste, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and coconut milk and simmer for 1 hour until all vegetables are soft. Top up with water as it evaporates. pur e with a hand blender and add coriander, cumin and lemon juice. If you prefer smooth soup blend in an electric blender. To make the pesto, pur e all the ingredients together, if it is too thick add some sunflower oil to loosen it. Garnish the soup with coconut pesto and diced sweet potato.