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Sweet Potato Soup with Corn & Chilies

The sweet potato, like the ordinary potato, was cultivated in pre-historic Peru. It is now grown around the world and comes in hundreds of varieties, the most common being yellow and white. As a general rule, the paler the colour, the drier the flesh. The darker tubers become more moist and sweet when cooked.
Whichever variety of sweet potato you prefer, they combine beautifully with another South American favourite — fresh corn. For contrasting texture, I have left the corn kernels whole in this heart-warming and tasty soup. If you prefer, you can blend the corn to a purée with the sweet potatoes.

PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: about 40 minutes
YIELD: enough for 4–6 persons

1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon yellow asafetida powder
4 3/4 cups sweet potato, about 650g, diced
4 cups rich vegetable stock
1 1/4 cups cooked corn kernels, about 200g
1 green jalapeno chili, seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (less if using a salty stock)
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
whole coriander leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a 3-litre/quart saucepan over moderate heat. Sprinkle in the yellow asafetida powder and drop in the sweet potatoes. Sauté the potatoes for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender but not broken down. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Strain the sweet potatoes, being careful to reserve all the liquid. Return the cooking liquid to the rinsed-out saucepan. Place the sweet potatoes in a food processor and reduce them to a purée. Add a little cooking liquid if needed.

Add the sweet potato purée to the cooking liquid and return to moderate heat. Add the cooked corn, chili, salt and pepper. Simmer the soup for another 10 minutes, then serve hot with crusty bread and a garnish of fresh coriander leaves.

from "Vegetarian World Food"  by Kurma Dasa, Chakra Press