I get excited at the start of every winter, because I can make soup again!  This is one I always look forward to making again. The coconut flavour works so well with the sweet potato.

ingredients
makes 5 generous serves

1 large sweet potato
2 medium sized carrots
3 sticks of celery
1 brown onion
200ml coconut milk
1 litre stock (chicken or vegetable)
handful fresh chives
50g butter / tablespoon of oil

method

Peel the vegies and chop them up into chunky pieces.  Melt the butter in a large pot before adding the onion and celery.  Once the celery has turned pale and the onion soft, add the carrots and sweet potato.  Pour enough stock into the pot so that all the vegies are just covered, using water if extra liquid is needed.  Bring to the boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover with lid.

Check up on the pot after about 5 minutes to ensure it’s not too hot (the vegies should not be sticking to the bottom of the pot – if they are, add a little more stock or water, and reduce the heat).  After about 20-30 minutes, your vegies should be nice and soft.  Remove from heat, and if using a blender, allow to cool before blending the contents of the pot.  If using a hand mix, you can start straight away.  Add coconut milk to obtain the desired consistency (I like my soup thick).  Season with salt & pepper, and serve with fresh, chopped chives and a dash of coconut milk.