Cream of Jalapeno Soup
Blog: www.nextinlime.com
Servings: 5
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 medium (200 g) onion - chopped
- 5 large (200 g) jalapenos - fresh, seeds removed and chopped
- ½ cup (100 g) green peas - frozen is fine
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2.5 cups (591 ml) broth - vegetable or chicken broth (Note A)
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice - divided
- 1.5 cups (355 ml) whole milk - cold (Note B)
- 20 sprigs fresh cilantro - stems and all, roughly chopped
- 4 ounces (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese - around 1 packed cup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch - for slurry
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped jalapenos, green peas. Saute 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, salt, ground cumin, white pepper, black pepper, dried thyme and stir for another minute.
- Add vegetable or chicken broth. Also add 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix, then cover the pot (leave the lid slightly open). Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Next, turn the heat off, mix in cold milk. Wait a minute, then mix in chopped cilantro. Blend using an immersion blender (aka hand blender) until completely smooth. If using a regular blender, cool down the soup a bit more.
- Return the blended soup to medium heat, bring to a gentle simmer. Add shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it melts completely.
- Prepare the slurry by dissolving cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water. Add it to the simmering soup while stirring constantly and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. If you like your soup thicker, add some more slurry, but do so gradually or you might end up making it too thick.
- Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Then taste and adjust the soup for salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and serve right away!
Notes
- Note A: Broth – Homemade broth is your best option. You can use store-bought stock/broth too, but their salt content can vary, so add less salt to the soup, then adjust as needed.
- Note B: Milk substitute – Feel free to substitute milk with half-and-half if you want an extra rich soup.