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Cauliflower, cream and cumin really are made for each other. I’m not a massive puréed soup fan, as I prefer my soups chunky but the addition of cauliflower bhajis really gives you something to get your teeth into. If you fancy even more of a cumin hit then toast some cumin seeds in oil and drizzle over the soup before serving.

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium-sized cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2¼ pints chicken or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
100ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small bunch of fresh coriander

for the bhajis
100g garam or plain flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 free-range egg
150ml ice cold fizzy water, (you can use still water but using fizzy makes the bhajis really crisp)
200g cauliflower, cut into small florets enough vegetable oil, for deep frying a small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

First make the soup. Heat the oil in a large pan and when hot add the chopped onion. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the ground cumin and coriander and mix together. Add the cauliflower and coat in the spiced onions. Pour over the chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is quite tender.

Pour the soup into a blender and whiz into a smooth soup (be careful not to scald yourself). Pour the soup back into the pan, add the cream and heat. Season with lots of salt and pepper.

To make the bhajis, first mix together all of the ingredients apart from the cauliflower and oil to make a batter. Be careful not to over-mix it as this will make the batter tough. Heat the oil until you can fry a piece of bread in it and it browns in 30 seconds. Coat the cauliflower pieces in the batter and then carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on some kitchen paper. Serve scattered with some chopped coriander.