Man must have been very excited the first time a sweet potato rolled over into the fire. A once hard tubor became soft and sweet. What a discovery! Sweet potatoes or yams are grown all over the world, but mostly are grown in the tropics, Africa and in the Deep South of the USA. There are more than 600 species.
On my recent trip to Hawaii, I made this soup and not until I had roasted the sweet potatoes did I realize it would be a blue soup. Yes, I ate blue soup. The Okinawan sweet potatoes there are blue inside. Most sweet potatoes or yams are orange though and boast many healthful properties.
They contain a peptide substance called phytochelatins that can bind to unwanted heavy metals such as copper, mercury and lead. You can eat them year round, but since they are a root vegetable, my favorite time to eat them is in the cold weather season. When buying them, look for hard ones and store in a cool, dark place. Sweet potatoes go great with the warming spice, ginger, which is also very medicinal. It is great for digestion, circulation and overall cleansing.
- 2 tablespoon of butter, coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 diced onion (yellow or white)
- 2-4 tablespoons fresh minced ginger, peeled
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 2 cups roasted sweet potato or yams (without skins) (see below for roasting instructions)
- 2 cups homemade chicken broth (free range, organic)
- 1 cup coconut milk (full fat) or raw heavy cream or raw milk
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Wash and scrub sweet potatoes until clean.
- Rub olive oil over their skins.
- Poke skins with a few pricks. Place on cookie sheet or baking dish . If you use parchment paper, your cleaning job will be much easier. Put in oven.
- Turn halfway through cooking. Roast till tender, about 1 hour.
- In medium sized soup pot over medium heat, melt butter, coconut oil or olive oil.
- Add 1 diced onion and fresh minced ginger.
- Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
- Saute for about 15 minute until onion softens and releases its amazing aroma.
- Add roasted sweet potato or yams (without skins) and homemade chicken broth. Add ground nutmeg and ground coriander.
- Stir all ingredients together and bring to a simmer.
- Puree with an immersion blender.
- Add coconut milk or raw heavy cream or raw milk. Add more broth if the soup is too thick for your taste.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with a dollop of crème fraicshe and minced chives.
Amazing soup and so easy to make. Everyone at work wanted the recipe. Thanks for sharing the deliciousness, Amanda!