Roasted Cauliflower & Spinach Soup

Directions

1. Turn on the oven to 400ºF. In a roasting tray toss your cauliflower florets, garlic cloves, oil, cumin powder, salt, & pepper & bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. It should be soft enough for a knife to be inserted into the stalk without resistance. Set aside to cool.
2. In a heavy-bottomed dish, add in your ghee & cumin seeds. Once they crisp up (~8-10 seconds) add in your chopped spinach & sauté until wilted. Be sure not to overcook as this may cause your soup to become a little slimy when you blend it.
3. Add in the roasted cauliflower, roasted garlic, garam masala, cumin powder, jaggery, salt, & pepper and sauté until fragrant. Reserve a few pieces of cauliflower florets for your garnish. Make sure you don’t burn the spices & sauté on a medium-low flame.
4. Turn off the flame & set aside to cool for a few minutes. With an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth & creamy.
5. Add it back into the pan on a low flame and add some water, a tablespoon at a time, to thin out the soup, if necessary. The water in the spinach is usually enough to thin it out. Simmer on low for 5 minutes to make sure all the flavors meld well.
6. Add in the coconut cream, Kasuri methi, & cheese & stir well. Turn off the flame & add in the lemon juice. This is to make sure that all the flavors balance out & there is no bitterness from the spinach.
7. For the tempering, heat oil in a small sauté pan & add in the cumin seeds & garlic & allow to crisp up. Be careful not to burn them. Then add in the asafoetida, chilies powder, & turn off the heat. The residual heat is enough for these spices to bloom.
8. Add the tempering to your large soup dish or your individual soup bowls & garnish with the roasted cauliflower florets that you set aside.
9. Extra Tip: • You can make this soup vegan by leaving out the cheese or substituting a vegan sharp cheese for the Asiago. And substituting in oil for the ghee.