Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon ... Problems

[redmike]

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon Problems

hi,

maybe I shouldn't have put these two questions in one post but this is my first post to the group and didn't want to post twice and have you guys say - wow, this guy is going to be a pest !

I'm just making a carrot soup and two things in the recipe interested me ..

1) after adding the carrots to the sauteed onions, ginger and garlic it says to saute for one minute. What does a one minute of sauteing do ?

2) the recipe calls for fresh lemon juice but it's only to be added after the soup is cooked and liquidized. What would happen if the lemon juice were added earlier?

When I was 18 I wanted to become a saucier but it didn't happen and I was a film editor for most of my life instead - different kind of chopping I guess

I love cooking so I shall no doubt pester you some more ..

thanks

Mike

 

[Haggis]

1) after adding the carrots to the sauteed onions, ginger and garlic it says to saute for one minute. What does a one minute of sauteing do ?

You often see this in recipes when adding liquid after adding the main is a later step such as with rice pilafs or even some lentil dishes. I guess the idea is that little bit of frying with the aromatics in the hot fat allows their flavours to permeate the carrot better. Would the dish turn out radically different if you didn't saute the carrots? No.

2) the recipe calls for fresh lemon juice but it's only to be added after the soup is cooked and liquidized. What would happen if the lemon juice were added earlier?

Citric juices are often added at the end of cooking for a number of reasons:

a) they are a liquid so they contribute something to the texture of the dish, by adding earlier some of this liquid may evaporate causing the dish not to be as runny (generally fairly negligable though).

b) citric juices are sometimes a volatile flavouring in that their flavour can dissapate if added too early, much like adding a fragile herb too early in the cooking process (such as coriander or fennel fronds).

c) by adding at the end of cooking when the dish is finished it is easier to judge how much juice is actually needed to finish the dish (since citric juices are a fairly potent ingredient) and all the other seasonings are complete.

Hope that helps.

 

[GB]

Haggis gave you a great answer so I have nothing to add on that end.

What I will say though is welcome to the site and do not worry about posting lots of messages. That is why we are here. Feel free to post as many questions as you might have. We will be more than happy to help you in any way we can.

 

[Andy M.]

Welcome aboard, Mike!

Continue to ask questions. Answering them gives us something to do.

 

[redmike]

thanks for the replies !

I guess that all of us that like cooking often do 'things' written in recipes and wonder why this and why that might make a difference.

thanks

Michael

 

[jkath]

Welcome aboard, Michael, and never stop asking questions!

 

[redmike]

c) by adding at the end of cooking when the dish is finished it is easier to judge how much juice is actually needed to finish the dish (since citric juices are a fairly potent ingredient) and all the other seasonings are complete.

Hope that helps.

funny I just tossed in the fresh lemon juice before reading the above and when I tasted the soup I thought 'too much lemon'.

Not talking a great deal here - perhaps a teaspoon too much.

'fairly potent' - yes

And there was also 'fresh lemon peel'.

Mike

 

[redmike]

carrot soup and measurements

I have tried the following recipe twice and it didn't turn out to be anything 'special'

1) I made and added the metric changes (ml and grams) and although I think that they're pretty close they might not be and that might be affecting the soup.

A 'cup' is what ?

I'm mixing dry and liquid measurements here.

2) Any ideas (a better recipe or conversion system) would be appreciated.

thanks

Michael

CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER AND LEMON

(changed to link due to copyright violation) - kitchenelf

 

[Andy M.]

Your quantities and conversions appear correct. Therecipe does not include salt and pepper. Did you use any? Salt and pepper will make a significant difference in the flavor of the ingredients you have used.

 

[redmike]

Your quantities and conversions appear correct. Therecipe does not include salt and pepper. Did you use any? Salt and pepper will make a significant difference in the flavor of the ingredients you have used.

I added some sea salt and some pepper but the recipe seemed bland - lacking je ne sais quoi

No 'body' and not much taste of carrots strangely enough.

I posted an article about a month back about adding 'citrus' and was very careful about tasting the soup each time I added a little more.

thanks for the post,

Michael

 

[Andy M.]

You could try roasting the carrots before adding them. Also, consider adding some herbs or spices. Some chili powder would give you some zip.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Well, Michael - you are not alone in thinking that this recipe has too much lemon and/or is "uninspiring" when you read the reviews at Epicurious.Com where this recipe is posted. Just scroll down and click on "see more reviews" and you will see that you are not alone.

The majority of reviewers liked it as is ... but those that had problems with it were like you, too much lemon and no "zing". Solutions they came up with were to use less lemon, add more garlic and/or ginger, and add some herbs and/or hot peppers.

I don't think you did anything wrong in your preparation/measurements ... it's just one of those recipes that doesn't tickle your taste buds. That happens.

You might also look at some of these other carrot and ginger soup recipes, or Asian carrot and ginger soup recipes, or recipes for curried carrot soup. I know I've had a couple of Asian and a couple of Indian versions and they were anything but boring!