Persimmon & Carrot Soup

click to enlarge

I've been having a bit of a love affair with persimmons since I tried them for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and since I was in the mood for a light lunch today, I decided to make a sweet and spicy soup. I think this has a medium level of heat, but you may exclude the chili from the recipe if you prefer a less spicy flavour.

Persimmon & Carrot Soup

2 FUYU PERSIMMONS, peeled and chopped
2 MEDIUM CARROTS, peeled and minced
1/2 MEDIUM ONION, minced
2 c. VEGETABLE BROTH
1/2 THAI CHILI
1 tsp. TURMERIC
2 tsp. GARAM MASALA
SALT, to taste
GROUND WHITE PEPPER, to taste
1/2 FRESH LEMON
1 tbsp. YOGURT
FRESH CORIANDER

Place the persimmons, carrots, onion, chili and 1/2 cup of the broth into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a low boil and cook until the mixture begins to dry out. Lower the pot to a steady simmer and add the remainder of the broth in 1/2 cup increments, cooking until the fruit and vegetables are fairly soft- about 30 minutes.

Add the turmeric and garam masala, along with the salt and pepper to taste, and cook for a further minute or two. Taste and adjust spices. Puree the soup with a hand mixer (the turmeric will stain it!) or in a blender, adding a bit more hot broth if you would like a thinner consistency.

Serve immediately, garnished with juice from the lemon, a dollop of yogurt and freshly chopped coriander.

Serves 1 as a main or 2 as a starter.

Comments

[Reid]

Hi Moira,

This is definitely interesting. I like the sound of persimmons and carrots. All those spices must make this taste nice too. Looks a little thick. Perhaps it will go well with roti prata.

[rowena]

Persimmons certainly inspire you to WANT to have a love affair. ;-) They are one of the most sensuous fruits, besides the fig, that I am still quite entranced with myself. The ones we got on Kauai were both those big fleshy ones and the japanese imports....but most everyone preferred the imports, not having a clue as what to do with the larger ones.

I have to tell you one thing, seeing all of the persimmons going to waste and rotting away on the trees around here makes me frown. But I suppose people are just so used to them. Maybe not so much different from those papayas back home :shocked:!

[Moira]

Hi Reid,

Yes, it was thick...roti would have been great with it. I didn't want it to be broth-y, though- which was good, considering that the tripod tipped over and my camera went face-first into it!

Hi Rowena,

I've never had a fresh fig before! I know, I know- maybe I'll make that my next new ingredient to try.

I feel you about the persimmons (and papayas)- before we got to know our neighbours in Makiki, their papaya used to rot right in front of us! After we became friends, they would give them to us all the time and it was *wonderful*. We had an avocado tree that used to bear an amazing amount of fruit, too and we *never* took that for granted, let me tell you!

Aloha you two,

[Andrea Winchester]

Another Fuyu persimmon recipe! Yay! You and I are both determined to enjoy our beautiful persimmon trees. It is clear to me why they are so prized in Japan. Apparently there they are as popular as our apples are in the USA.

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it.
Andrea

[sue]

I have to try persimmons now, only problem is I can't find them! Searched the internet and found a site that sells them but only between October to December! I don't know if I can wait that long!

[Moira]

Hi Andrea,

Oh, I'm so glad somebody's going to try this recipe! You'll definitely have to let me know what you think and if you make any adjustments or additions.

Hi Sue,

That's too bad...they're plentiful over here right now. It could have something to do with the fact that we get them from Israel. You'll have to make sure you get some next autumn, I guess! :-(

Cheers,

[foodie]

Hi Moira! Oh my goodness, you have a spectacular looking site! I was immediately impressed when I brought your page up, and even more so once I saw the gorgeous quality, subject matter, lighting, and framing of your pictures. Very nice~ And then coupling that with your entries... wonderful presentation! I'm definitely bookmarking your site, hope that's okay with you, and I look forward to reading/seeing more of your yummy experiments~

I love the texture of your persimmon carrot soup - it seems the heartiness of it is more suiting for the full-flaroved, sweet ingredients than a liquidy broth would be. What an intriguing way to use a fruit that usually doesn't last past it's natural state when one is put near me. ;)

[Moira]

Hi foodie,

Thank you so much...that makes me feel so happy! I'm really enjoying the whole process of blogging, and it's great to get such positive feedback.

Yes, I think thick was the way to go with this soup, too. Reid was so right about roti prata as a good accompaniment- it would make a great hearty meal of it.

I'm thrilled that you've linked to me, and I look forward to checking back with you for more fantastic recipes...can't wait for an excuse to try the toffee!

Cheers,

[Sue]

Check out www.recipesource.com
There are persimmon ice cream recipes there.
Thought you might be interested.

Wonderful blog!

[santos]

hi moira--i'm indifferent to persimmmons (and papayas) except for in a purely visual way (very pretty), but since there are months that i have a glut of both, i end up using them in soups a lot. my favourite soup with persimmon is a clear broth, and i use the persimmons when they are still a little crunchy. i'll have to post the recipe sometime. thanks for this recipe, i'll add it to the list!

[Reid]

Hi Moira,

YIKES! I hope your camera is OK. By the way, what kind of camera are you using?

Hehe...tag, you're it! I'd like to see what you choices you come up with for this:

http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2005/02/music_in_my_kit.html

[Moira]

Hi Sue,

Thank you! I would love to make persimmon ice cream.

Hi Santos,

I'll watch out for your recipe- I would be so interested to see what it's like.

Hi Reid,

My camera is o.k., but I'm going to have to get it cleaned very soon. I'm currently using an Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom.

Eeek! I can't believe you tagged me for this! Oh, boy....

Cheers everyone,

[Debra from Culiblog]

Chapeau for the persimmons - nectar of the Gawds. Here is a permalink to an entry where they feature prominently. I like your photography btw. http://www.culiblog.org/archives/000846.html