Thai style sweet potato and coconut soup - The perfect winter warmer

Now that the clock have gone back winter feels like it has well and truly taken hold. The woolly hat has made it's way out of the winter draw, the night are dark and cold and soup is back on the menu.

This soup is one of my favorites, creamy, sweet, with just enough spice and fragrance to warm you up after a cold mornings walk in the local park. Soups don't come much better than this.

1kg sweet potato

2 banana shallots

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 a red chilli

2cm of root ginger peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 lemongrass stick

a couple of sprigs of fresh coriander

1 tin of coconut milk

500 ml vegetable stock

Peel and roughly chop the shallots and garlic and place them in a pan with a little oil, sweet them off over a medium heat. Chop and add in the red chilli, lemongrass and ginger and sweet them off for further minuets.

Whilst they are cooking get the sweet potato peeled and chopped up. Add them to the pan along with the stock and simmer for minuets.

At this point the vegetables should be well cooked and soft. Add in most of the coconut milk (retain just enough for a swirl on the top of the soup when finished), bring back to the boil and liquidize in a jug blender until smooth. Season to taste and serve.