Cumin spiced Potato n leek soup – Vegan, frugal and warm

I have been busy and sick all  last week. not a good combination, especially if you are working and want to save leaves for rainy days. I wasn’t up for any Vegetable or lentil curry at all. Tried some Pasta dishes though, which helped me retain the taste in my otherwise tasteless mouth. And the wet and dark weather outside didn’t help either. 

Over the weekend, I wanted to have something filling, warm and comforting. What could be better than potatoes for comfort!  But instead of ripping them up for any dry curry or chips, I prepared this Leek and potato soup finally. Mmm… having a bowl full of warm soup, while cosy-ing up on the couch and watching your favourite TV series. Priceless! 

It is a recipe so cheap and easy to make it could be on any bachelor’s gamut.. Its loosely based on Julia Child’s original recipe for Cream of Leek and Potato soup and just calls for 5 ingredients originally. I have added a dash of cumin seeds just to make it a bit more flavourful. Cumin also helps in aiding digestion, so it’s a win-win altogether. Adding red chili flakes is totally optional though, and same is the use of extra Olive oil for the final touch. But if you havent had this style of potato soup ever before, you should give it a try.  

What you need?

• 4 cups potatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 cups leeks, sliced and chopped
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock/broth
• 3 cups of water
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds  
• ½ tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp  salt or as per taste

How to make? 

• First wash your veggies well. Cut the dark green ends and the roots off of the leeks.
• Slice the leeks lengthwise, then roughly chop them to break them up a little.
• Cut the potatoes into about 1/2 inch chunks. Set aside.
• In a medium sized soup pot, heat 2 tbsp of Oil. Add chopped leeks and onion, and cook about 6-10 minutes, until softened and slightly glassy. Add the chopped potatoes, cooking covered for about 10 more minutes on medium heat until the leeks are softened and the potatoes just slightly softened.
• Add the 3 cups of vegetable stock with 3 cups of water & salt and let cook on low to medium heat for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and the soup starts smelling delicious.
• Using an immersion blender or a plain old blender like we do, blend the soup in batches until it is creamy and uniform in texture. You can leave some un-blended if you’d like some chunks in your soup. Pour in the serving bowl
• In a small pan, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add in red chili flakes and cumin powder. Let the spices sizzle for just 10-15 seconds, don’t let them burn. Sizzle this “tadka” over the soup in the bowl itself.
• Serve with crusty bread and top with a little fresh herb, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes; 

• Don’t overcook the leeks- if they turn brown they are burnt and taste a little funky in the soup.
• You may use all leeks and no onion at all, as the original recipe called for. It will mildly change the taste, but its still quite good.
• You can sub in vegetable stock for water in this recipe but it give the soup a slightly darker tint. Adjust the salt accordingly if you do.
• This soup is wildly versatile; try adding in other veggies if you like (I like adding carrots and celery) or other spices.
• You may use smoked paprika instead of red chili flakes to take this to another level.
• If you are not making this vegan, I will strongly suggest the use of butter instead of oil. It  brings out very nice flavours from the spices added
• You may also add a dash of cream on top, though I like it just as it is.

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