Curried Carrot Soup

Ingredients
2T oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 green chillies, seeded & chopped (or substitute 1/2t Tabasco Sauce)
1t ground cumin
1t ground coriander
1/2t ground ginger
1/2t ground turmeric
4-5 carrots, peeled & chopped
1.2L vegetable/chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper
plain yoghurt
naan bread
1T chopped fresh mint

Equipment
large pot
blender/food processor

Method
Heat oil in pot, add garlic, onion & chopped chilli (if using Tabasco, add this with the stock later). Cook gently for about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric & carrots, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil & reduce the heat, simmer for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Process/blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste. Serve topped with a spoonful of yoghurt & a sprinkle of mint, with wedges of naan bread on the side.

Substitutions
The carrots can be exchanged for parsnips or beetroots, generic curry powder or paste can be used in place of the four spices.