Carrot Star Anise Soup Recipes

CARROT-STAR ANISE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute chopped carrots and onion in the hot oil, 10 to 15 minutes. Add water slowly, adjusting so that the vegetables are just covered. Add star anise, chicken bouillon, and coriander and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, about 40 minutes.
• Remove star anise. Puree soup with an immersion blender to desired consistency. Garnish with thyme and marjoram and serve hot.

CARROT SOUP WITH STAR ANISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add onion, thyme, 3 star anise (SEE NOTE BELOW), bay leaves, and garlic.
• Sauté until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
• Add carrots and broth.
• Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove and discard thyme sprigs, star anise, and bay leaves.
• Working in small batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth; return to same pot.
• Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead.
• Cool slightly, cover, and chill.
• Rewarm over low heat before continuing.
• Finely grind remaining star anise in spice mill or coffee grinder.
• Ladle soup into bowls.
• Sprinkle with ground star anise.
• NOTE: Brown, star-shaped seedpods; available at some supermarkets, Asian markets, and specialty foods stores.

ONE-PAN CARROT & CUMIN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a deep saucepan over a medium heat until just starting to sizzle, then fry the cumin seeds until toasted and crackling.
• Add the onion, leek, garlic, star anise, carrots and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened in their own steam.
• Pour over the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer, then continue to cook for 10 mins until the carrots are tender. Spoon 2 tbsp of the cream into a small dish and set aside, then pour the rest into the pan and bring back to the boil. Remove the star anise and use a hand blender to blitz the mixture until smooth and silky. Or, tip into a standard blender in batches and blitz before returning to the pan. For a really smooth soup, push through a sieve into a saucepan. At this stage, the soup can be cooled completely and chilled for up to three days or frozen for six months. Defrost fully before reheating. Reheat until piping hot over a low heat, then pour into bowls, drizzle with the reserved cream and scatter the extra cumin seeds on top. Serve with these cheese, cumin & onion seed cornbread muffins, if you like.

CARROT & STAR ANISE PURéE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large, shallow pan. Add the carrots, tarragon and star anise. Slowly cook for 10 mins until the carrots are glazed and starting to soften. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then simmer everything for 20 mins until cooked and the stock has reduced.
• Pour in the cream, bring back to the boil and simmer for 1 min more. Remove from the heat, take out the star anise and stir through the lemon juice. Season to taste, then blitz with a hand blender until as smooth as possible. The purée can now be chilled or frozen, then gently reheated before serving.

CREAMY CARROT SOUP WITH STAR ANISE

Steps:

• In large stock pot over medium heat melt the butter. Add chopped onion, 3 star anise, bay leaves and garlic. Saute until the onion starts to soften and glisten, about 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots and fresh stock. Cover, bring to boil and simmer until carrots are very tender, approximately 30 minutes.
• Remove star anise and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender puree the soup until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Take the remaining star anise and grind to a fine powder. Stir a little into the soup. Adjust seasoning and add more star anise to taste. Stir in the fresh minced chives.
• Serve hot.