Karl’s Hawaiian Sweet Potato Soup

I had decided to make an African peanut and sweet potato soup to go with my Asian coleslaw and ham steak. When I told her how I had planned to spice the ham to meld these divergent dishes, her response was a very definite, “No!” She suggested that I make the soup, Hawaiian and make Hawaiian pork to go with it. A quick adjustment of the spicing and the addition of coconut milk met with her satisfaction.

Karl’s Hawaiian Sweet Potato Soup

Karl’s Hawaiian Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbs. ghee (clarified butter, For Vegan use canola oil)
1 cup yellow onion, diced
½ cup celery, diced (1 stalk)
½ tsp. Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, minced
½ tsp. white pepper, ground
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken broth, separate uses (for Vegan use vegetable broth)

¾ cup coconut milk, separate uses

Directions

1. Melt the ghee in a soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and celery with the salt for about 8-10 minutes, until starting to pick up some color.

2. Pull the vegetables to the side of the pot and add the garlic to the hole in the center. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and mix into the vegetables, about 30 seconds.

3. Add 2½ cups of the broth and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the pot from heat and add one cup of broth to cool the soup.

5. Use a standing blender to process the soup to a smooth cream and return it to the pot. Use the last half cup of stock to rinse out the blender jar and add it to the pot.

6. Reheat the soup over medium heat, about five minutes.

7. Stir in half a cup of the coconut milk to blend and continue to simmer the soup for five more minutes.

8. Serve warm garnished with the rest of the coconut milk.

Tip: If you pour the coconut milk into the soup it will just drop to the bottom of the soup and disappear. Ladle the coconut milk gently into the soup so that it floats on the top.