Crema de Malanga

Malanga goes by yautia, dasheen, cocoyam, or taro, depending on which market or which grandmother you ask, and finding it in the first place is half the work of this soup. Most big chain grocery stores do not carry it plainly labeled; a Caribbean or Latin market usually will. Once you have it, the rest is patient simmering and one pass with the blender.

The malanga itself holds potassium and a real amount of vitamin B6, and the full-fat coconut milk it simmers in breaks down into medium-chain fats, a kind of fuel your body can burn fast rather than store. Garlic and thyme round out the pot with compounds linked to a steadier immune response, the kind of quiet, cumulative work a whole bowl does together over one meal.

Ladle it into a wide bowl, pale and just faintly fragrant with thyme, and actually sit down with it. A soup this plain deserves your full attention for the few minutes it takes to eat, not something rushed through while you do something else.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (in place of vegan butter, which is not AIP)
• 2 large scallions, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lb malanga (taro root / yautia / dasheen / cocoyam), peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 14 oz full-fat coconut milk
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• Pink salt to taste
• Olive oil for drizzling
• (Vegan butter replaced with coconut oil: AIP swap)
• (Black pepper omitted: excluded on AIP)
• (Ground nutmeg omitted: seed spice, excluded on AIP)

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the scallions and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir for 1 more minute until fragrant.

Add the chopped malanga, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and thyme sprigs. Stir to combine. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover partially and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the malanga is completely tender and breaks apart easily when pressed with a spoon.

Remove the thyme sprigs. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until completely smooth, or transfer in batches to a stand blender, taking care with the hot liquid by leaving the lid slightly vented.

Return the soup to low heat if needed to warm through. Taste and adjust salt. The soup will thicken further as it sits; add a splash of stock or water to loosen it if needed.

Serve in wide bowls with a drizzle of olive oil over the top.

*Adapted from That Girl Cooks Healthy*