Cold cauliflower soup is a refreshing first course during the hot weather, especially with the heatwave that we’ve been experiencing these past few days. I blended cauliflower, sweet round rice, ginger garlic paste and crème fraîche with a few spices such as cumin, coriander and turmeric. I served it in bowls (you could also use chilled glasses) topped with grilled shrimp covered with mango and sungold cherry tomatoes.
My husband Lulu is a vegetarian so I simply omitted the shrimp and prepared a separate batch using flavorful homemade vegetable stock. That way Lulu and I were able to share the meal together.
1. Info for Cauliflower Cold Soup with Grilled Shrimp
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 4
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Cauliflower Cold Soup with Grilled Shrimp
- ½ head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons sweet round rice
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, freshly grated
- 1 clove garlic, freshly grated
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup crème fraîche
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ataulfo mango, ripe
- 1 cup Sungold cherry tomatoes, stemmed and quartered
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 8 live large (or uncooked) shrimp, shell on and head on
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3. Directions:
- This is the method I use when peeling a mango without getting the pulp all mashed and mushy.
- Using a sharp knife, trim the end. Stand it up on end and peel one side while holding the fruit with the other end. Delicately slice off the first half from the top to bottom around the pit. Transfer the lobe to a cutting board and dice into ¼" cubes. Flip the fruit and repeat the same procedure on the other side. Do not apply any pressure to the flesh with your fingers to prevent the fruit from bruising; that way the pulp won’t be mashed up or damaged. Transfer the mango into a bowl and drizzle with lime juice.
- Place 1 chopped shallot in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Press out and drain all the liquid. Rinse in a water bath, then drain the liquid and pat dry. Add the mango and lime juice, Sungold tomatoes and black pepper. Toss well. Adjust seasoning if needed. Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving to let all the flavors blend together. Garnish with cilantro.
- Cut the cauliflower from the bottom into wedges, from the bottom. Pull and separate the small florets.
- Wash and rinse the rice thoroughly in several water baths (about three times). Discard any floating or odd-shaped or grains of rice. Drain the rice, removing as much water as possible. No soaking time is needed.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add the remaining shallots and cook for 4 minutes until lightly golden. Add the grated ginger and garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin and coriander. Mix well. Add the rice and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grains of rice burst and the broth thickens. Add the cauliflower and cook for about 20 minutes. The cauliflower should be tender. If not, extend the cooking time an additional 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, mix until smooth. Add paprika. Season with salt and black pepper. Chill the soup in the refrigerator.
- Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and pat dry using a paper towel. Repeat the same procedure for each shrimp. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Toss well.
- In a large, heavy-bottom grill pan, brush a thin layer of oil over high heat. Add the shrimp into the grill pan, one piece at a time, making sure the pieces aren’t overlapping, so they become a nice golden color. Cook for about 4 minutes until seared on one side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then flip the shrimp and cook on the other side. When they’re cooled enough to handle, peel them and transfer to the mango tomato mixture.
- Add crème fraîche to the chilled soup. Mix well. Adjust the texture of the soup to your liking by adding a little water. Adjust seasoning.
- Place the cold soup into chilled glasses. Top with 2 shrimp and cover the center with the mango and tomato mixture.
- Garnish with a slice of lime.
- Bon appétit!
