Thai Sweet Chilli Carrot Soup

I'm not sure how but I always end up with a glut of carrots in the bottom of fridge every couple of weeks and I'm always looking for ways to jazz them up and make them delicious... Enter Chrissy Teigen. Yes, really. John Legend's wife but an internet sensation and model in her own right but most importantly a lover of food and writer of cookbooks that are just wonderful.

This is a really simple recipe but each ingredient plays a really important role. There's onion and carrots for sweetness, coconut milk for creaminess, lemongrass and ginger for fragrance a little warmth and chilli sauce for heat. The result is a soup that will have you going back for more.

Thai Sweet Chilli Carrot Soup

Serves 4

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

450g carrots, chopped

250ml chicken or vegetable stock

1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped

10g fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce

salt and pepper

chilli oil, for serving (optional)

In a large pot, heat the butter over a medium heat. Once foaming, add the onion together with a big pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 2 minutes until softened slightly. Add the carrots and continue to cook, stirring, until softened and the onion has turned deep golden (about 18-20 minutes).

Add the stock, coconut milk, lemongrass and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low and simmer. Leave to cook for 40 minutes.

Stir in the sweet chilli sauce, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Blend the soup until smooth - either in the pot with a stick blender or transfer to a stand blender/food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the soup between bowls and top with a drizzle of chilli oil, if you like.