I never grew up eating parsnips but I grew to love them as a soup when I was a young journalist. I would run out of money towards the end of the month and get a bag of parsnips or butternut to sustain me until pay day.

I smile now when I think about it but back then I used to hate eating soup when I was broke. Now I’m able to make it much more tastier with gourmet toppings and ginger and garlic. This soup reminds me of many cold nights in my tiny bachelor apartment in the late 2000’s. I used to dream so big and fed a massive appetite for adventure. Someone once told me I would stop feeling so excited about life when I get to thirty. But as I near forty, I am still massively excited about humble meals and a simple life. I don’t ever take for granted the way that I’ve grown, who I’ve met and what I’ve learnt since I first peeled a parsnip.

Did you know: Parsnips is one of the cheapest vegetables around. A 500 g bag of Parsnips at an organic market will usually sell for R20. Parsnips is a root vegetable, similar to carrots and it has many vitamins and nutrients. It is a carb however, just like carrots, but it’s health benefits are amazing. It can improve heart health, boost the immune system, is good for the eyes and skin and it supports digestion and aids weight loss.

Ingredients for a large pot of soup

1/2 kg of parsnip (about 10, peeled)

1 litre of vegetable stock

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

1 tsp pepper

1 onion diced

Method

1. In a large pot, saute the onions on medium to high heat.

2. After about 5 minutes, add ginger and garlic.

3. Give it a quick stir and add parsnip. You don’t have to be precise, but cut the vegetable into large chunks and add to the pot.

4. Add garam masala and stir well.

5. Add vegetable stock. Add water to cover the vegetables completely.

6. Lower heat and let the soup boil for 30 minutes.

7. Take the soup off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Blend with a stick blender or in a blender until smooth.

8. Add salt to taste and garnish with pumpkin seed/coconut and black pepper.