A comforting cauliflower soup. Stunt-double for a hug.

A gently spiced soup for a cold, damp day. Not quite as nice as a hug, but it will make you feel warm inside nevertheless. The recipe – originally from MOB Kitchen – was amended by Phoebe and tweaked further by me. Roasting the vegetables adds flavour and this version uses slightly different spices and more coconut milk than theirs. Still vegan though.

• 1 Cauliflower – broken into large florets – fresh looking leaves and stalk are OK to use too
• 4 Banana Shallots – whole, unpeeled – or use two onions, halved, but again don’t peel them. As you can see from the photos I didn’t have enough shallots.
• 3 cloves Garlic – unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil – or any other type really

• 1 teaspoon ground Coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground Cardamom – MOB Kitchen used turmeric, but I’m not a fan of the flavour and it stains everything lurid yellow, so not worth the purported health benefits I feel…

• 2 tins Coconut Milk
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable Stock powder – I think Marigold is OK. As ever real Chicken stock would be even better for non-Veggies

• A handful of Cashews – fry dry in a pan until golden – or bake in the oven for a minute or two with the vegetables, if you set a timer, or remember to get them out before they burn. I failed, as you’ll see from the snap.
• 1 Red Chilli – seeded and sliced finely
• 1 Lime – quartered

Heat oven to 200°C. Oil a large baking tray and spread the cauliflower and alliums around. There should be plenty of room, so they can roast rather than steam

After 25-minutes turn the veg over, sprinkle with the spices and generously season, before returning to the oven for a final 5-minutes cooking. They should be just about cooked by then, and golden rather than too dark.

Cut the ends off the shallots and garlic and squeeze the innards into a saucepan, together with the cauliflower. Add the coconut milk, stock powder and an empty coconut milk tin full of hot water (i.e. 400ml). Bring to a simmer on the hob and cook for ten minutes until everything is tender. Blend well with a stick blender and – if need be – thin with a little more hot water. You should have a lovely smooth creamy soup, which you’ll serve with a few cashews and chilli half-moons scattered over, with lime to squeeze.