Banana Soup

This oddly-nostalgic recipe might seem a bit strange these days but I was reminded of this savoury soup when I dredged the recipe for Chicken Liver Pâté with Rum and Mango out of my memory a while ago. Around the late eighties or early nineties, there was a brief trend among some British recipe writers to celebrate cooking with bananas. I remember a number of recipes for banana chutney (often very tasty), banana jam (interesting but usually ludicrously sweet) and soups such as this one. I've made this from memory, so it may not be entirely true to the period.

I don't think of this as a hearty, lunchtime soup to satisfy your appetite after a hard morning's work. Rather, I think it's a soup to serve in small bowls as a starter. But what do I know? It's certainly a different way of enjoying bananas that's hopefully not too different for your guests. I seem to remember one restaurant serving a soup something like this with one or two freshly cooked prawns. I'm not entirely convinced about that combination but you might like to try it.

The small amount of liqueur enhances the flavours but, if you want to avoid alcohol, then leave it out  - it's not truly critical. You could use a reduced-fat coconut milk in this soup; it will be less rich but that might not always be a bad thing. 

As a starter this should serve between 4 and 6 people, depending on appetite; as a more substantial lunch soup it should serve 3.

1 -2 tsp coconut oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cm (or thereabouts) fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp white rice

½ tsp ground cumin 

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp lemongrass, crushed (optional because it's a bit of a faff but, if you have some, it's worth using)

500 ml vegetable stock

200 ml coconut milk

1 - 2 tsp Malibu (or other coconut rum liqueur)

Juice of ½ lime

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

Chilli sauce to serve

In a pan that has a lid, soften the onion for around 10 minutes in the coconut oil. Add the ginger and continue frying for another minute. Stir in the rice, cumin, coriander and lemongrass. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, stir thoroughly and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, cover the pan and let it simmer gently for 25 minutes. 

Add the Malibu, lime juice, bananas, some salt and pepper and take the pan off the heat. Purée the soup; this is a quick process, so a hand blender is probably easiest. Check the seasoning and the balance of sweet and sour flavours. If you're using very ripe, sweet bananas then you might find you need more lime juice. 

Reheat and serve with a swirl or drizzle of whatever chilli sauce you fancy. If you want to avoid adding any chilli, then a little lemon ketchup or sauce makes a good, albeit slightly less colourful, alternative.