Macadamia soup with
curry leaf and crab
SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 1 MIN (PLUS SOAKING, CHILLING)Curry leaves and roasted cumin seeds add warmth and depth to this
lighter spin on ajo blanco, enriched with spanner crab. Start this
recipe a day ahead to allow the flavours to come together.800 gm raw macadamia nuts,
soaked in cold water
(4 hours)
½ garlic clove
½ tsp cumin seeds
8 fresh curry leaves, plus
extra to serve
Extra-virgin olive oil,
to serve
Lime juice and thinly sliced
lime, to serve
360 gm picked spanner crab
meat1 Drain macadamia nuts and
transfer to a blender. Add garlic
and blend until finely chopped,Cool
comfort
When hot days call for less time
in the kitchen, having something
cold on standby in the fridge can
feel like a godsend. Make these
soups ahead and reap the reward
of maximum refreshment and
flavour with minimum fuss.
gradually adding 1 litre water.
Season well with salt, then
strain through a sieve, using the
back of a ladle to push all the
macadamia milk through.
2 Meanwhile, dry-roast cumin
until fragrant (10-20 seconds,
see cook’s notes p152). Cool,
then coarsely crush with a
mortar and pestle. Add to
macadamia milk with curry
leaves and refrigerate overnight
for flavours to combine.
3 To serve, season soup
with lime juice, drizzle with oil,
top with curry leaves, lime and
crab meat, and season to taste.38 GOURMET TRAVELLEREat clean