Potato cream soup

Potato cream soup with Tanzanian influences

I have often come across recipes that do not easily reveal their origins. Such was the case with the potato cream soup that I have been making for some time. Surprisingly, I read that it originates from Tanzania and has links to Indian culture and spice trade, although at its core it is quite a simple soup. I first tried it because it promised to be filling, and the ingredients are always at hand. I slightly adapted the recipe and arrived at this version, which I find balanced in taste and consistency.

Quick Info

Total time: about 45 minutes
Servings: 3
Difficulty: easy
Recipe type: cream soup, suitable for lunch or dinner

Ingredients

250 g potatoes
1 small carrot
1 small onion
1/2 leek (or to taste)
1 bay leaf
2 slices of smoked bacon
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 tablespoon butter
1 small piece of grated ginger (as much as you want for flavor, I put about 1 cm)
salt
pepper
fresh parsley (for decoration)
croutons (optional, for serving)
optional: a few cubes of cheese for serving

Preparation method

1. Peel the potatoes, carrot, onion, and leek. Cut them into not too large pieces.
2. In a pot, bring the onion, leek, and carrot to a boil in enough water to cover them well. I don't add salt yet, so the vegetables don't harden while boiling.
3. When the vegetables are half-cooked (after about 10-15 minutes), add the diced potatoes and the bay leaf.
4. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into strips and lightly brown it in a pan without additional oil. Just enough to get a little color, not to become crispy.
5. When all the vegetables are well cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon and keep the broth aside. Remove the bay leaf as well.
6. Place the cooked vegetables in a blender or use an immersion blender. Blend until you achieve a smooth cream, adding from the remaining broth until you reach the desired consistency.
7. Incorporate the butter, sesame oil, yogurt, and grated ginger. Blend again briefly to make everything homogeneous.
8. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
9. Finally, serve the soup hot, with chopped parsley on top and the smoked bacon sprinkled over each serving. For those who want, croutons or cheese cubes can be added. The cheese melts immediately if the soup is hot.

Why I make this recipe often

I often choose this recipe because it is quick and does not require expensive or complicated ingredients. It is quite filling, and the taste is different from a classic cream soup, especially due to the sesame oil and ginger. It’s also good if you want to use leftover vegetables from the fridge.

Tips and variations

Tips

If you want the soup to be very smooth, use a countertop blender, not the immersion one. If you have too much broth left, do not add it all at once—add a little at a time until you reach the texture you like. For a more intense flavor, you can lightly sauté the onion and leek before boiling them, but it's not mandatory.

Substitutions

You can replace the smoked bacon with cubes of lean ham or omit it completely if you want a vegetarian version. If you don’t have sesame oil, you can use a little olive oil, but the taste will be different. Yogurt can be replaced with sour cream or, for a vegan version, with a plant-based yogurt.

Variations

If you have other root vegetables, such as celery or parsnip, you can add them without problems, but don’t overdo it to avoid overpowering the potato flavor. For a lighter soup, you can skip the butter and keep just the sesame oil.

Serving ideas

It goes well with simple croutons or toasted bread. If you want something more substantial, you can put a few cheese cubes directly in the bowl before pouring the hot soup. In the end, a little fresh parsley makes a difference in appearance.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I use only potatoes, without other vegetables?
Yes, it is possible, but the taste will be simpler. The carrot and leek add an extra flavor.

2. What do I do if I don’t have a blender?
You can mash the soup with a classic potato masher, but it will be less smooth. You can also pass the vegetables through a sieve if you have patience.

3. Can it be made without bacon?
Yes, the bacon is optional. Without it, the soup will be more neutral, but you can compensate with more ginger or herbs.

4. Can I use milk instead of yogurt?
Milk works, but it won’t provide the same creaminess. If you want a denser soup, yogurt or sour cream is preferred.

5. Is the soup suitable for children?
Yes, but you can reduce or eliminate the ginger if you don’t want an intense flavor or if they can’t tolerate it.

Nutritional values

Approximately, one serving has about 200-250 kcal, depending on how much bacon and butter you use. It has about 7-10 g of protein, 8-10 g of fat, and 25-30 g of carbohydrates per serving. If you add cheese, the fat and protein intake slightly increases. It is a fairly balanced soup in terms of macronutrients, especially if you don’t overdo it with croutons or toppings.

Storage and reheating

The soup can be stored in the refrigerator, in a closed container, for 2 days. It can be easily reheated over low heat, stirring often. If it thickens when cold, you can add a little water or milk when reheating. The bacon and cheese are added only at serving, not in the soup that is stored.

We start by cleaning the vegetables, then in a pot we boil the chopped onion, leek, and carrots. When they are half cooked, we add the diced potatoes and the bay leaf. In a frying pan, we lightly fry the sliced bacon. Once the vegetables are cooked, we strain them (without discarding the broth), then blend them. Gradually, we add the butter, sesame oil, yogurt, and ginger. If the soup is too thick, we can add the broth from the cooked vegetables, and finally, we add salt and pepper. It is garnished with chopped parsley and smoked bacon and served with croutons.

When serving, you can add cubes of cheese for extra flavor. They will melt gently in the hot soup. :))

 Ingredients: For 3 servings we need: 250 g potatoes, 1 small carrot, 1 small onion, 1 bay leaf, leek, grated ginger, two tablespoons of sesame oil, two tablespoons of yogurt, butter, two slices of smoked bacon, salt and pepper.