The Most Delicious Marak Katom (Israeli Orange Soup) Ever

One of the first recipes I ever made, after chocolate cake and pigs in a blanket, was a mashed sweet potato soup, the recipe for which I found in an old recipe book at home. In Israel, this soup is known as marak katom, or orange soup (like the color, not the fruit).

My soup was mostly sweet potato and quite a bit of dill, and to this day I solemnly swear that I hate dill, except for that orange soup I made as a child, which was simply not the same without it. Also, the very sweet taste of the sweet potatoes likely just hid the flavor of the dill.

When I got older, each time I made this soup, I would reduce the amount of sweet potatoes mainly because they were just too sweet for my taste, and I learned to balance the flavor with other orange vegetables like pumpkin and carrots, which I love and provide a slightly more delicate flavor.

In the last two years, this soup has evolved yet again—one step further towards my favorite flavors—when I added coconut cream for a subtle sweetness, and that leaves this soup fluffy, adds a wonderful creaminess, and contains less fat than the cream I used to add.

Ahhh, and this time I also added orange lentils! Mainly because they thicken the soup, make it a satisfying meal, and add a lot of nutritional value.

Just 2 important things before you run to prepare it:

1. Note that the soup continues to thicken after cooking, so it is better for it to be a little runnier than you like before turning off the heat. If the soup seems too thick (check only after blending), you can add another 1/2 cup of boiling water.
2. Don’t skip the parsley root, it adds a wonderful depth of flavor.

• And here is another perfect recipe for orange lentil soup.

Marak Katom (Israeli Orange Soup)

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Serves: 4-6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¼-inch (1/2 cm) fresh ginger, peeled or ¼ teaspoon powdered (optional)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 piece (approximately 2 pounds/1 kilo) pumpkin, peeled
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1/2 parsley root, peeled (you can also use the whole root)
• 6 cups boiling water
• 1 level teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup orange lentils
• 1 container (1⅔ cups/400 ml) coconut cream (17% fat or higher)

Instructions

- Coarsely chop the garlic and ginger (don't worry about the size, you'll be grinding the soup anyway). - Cut the sweet potato, pumpkin and carrot into pieces approximately 1¼“ (3 cm) in size. - In a medium-large pot, heat olive oil and saute the garlic and ginger for 3 minutes. - Add the chopped vegetables, including the parsley root, and cook for 2 minutes. - Add boiling water, salt, turmeric, orange lentils and pepper and cook until all the vegetables are completely soft. - Blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth. - Add coconut cream, stir and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (You will likely need to add more salt.) Serve with croutons and a drizzle of coconut cream.

I could eat this soup every day. Every. Single. Day.

Notes

- Note that there are sweeter, and less sweet, sweet potatoes, the same goes for pumpkin, so don't forget to taste after adding the coconut cream (and only after, because the coconut cream is also sweet) and then decide whether to season with more salt or black pepper. - Instead of, or in addition to, one of the orange vegetables, you can add peeled and diced butternut squash. If you add it in addition to the vegetables listed, make sure to add an additional cup of boiling water. - If you like a thinner soup, you can add another cup of boiling water. In any case, keep in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it cools. - Want to upgrade? You can start by adding sauteéd diced onion and/or diced celery (add in at the beginning with the oil and garlic). - For a dairy version of orange soup, and for those who don't like coconut, you can replace the coconut cream with regular cream. - And if you want a lower-calorie version? Simply omit the coconut cream or switch to a low-fat option. - And another fun upgrade - add 1/2 teaspoon of hot paprika. This adds a spicy kick to the soup.