Kumara comes in four fabulous varieties. Owairaka is the classic purple-skinned and yellow-fleshed (original), then there's the brown-skinned and fleshed Toka Toka. Beauregard is brown-skinned and orange-fleshed and now easy to find is Purple Dawn, which as the name suggests is purple-hued both outside and inside. This recipe can be made with all varieties, though you will find that the amount of stock you need will vary depending on the variety as some like the classic, original kumara are more starchy. I have used a mix of classic and purple-fleshed kumara - hence the colour. The flavour is sensational.

Ingredients

• knob butter
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 750g-1kg kumara, peeled and chopped into even-sized pieces
• 1 litre vegetables stock

To accompany, optional

• sour cream
• crispy cooked diced bacon
• chopped parsley
• grated fresh ginger

Method

1. Heat the knob of butter in a large saucepan and add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes. We do this to soften the onion and to ensure that it will cook to complete tenderness later on.
2. Add the cloves and curry powder and toss in the hot ingredients. Add the kumara and stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Puree with a stick blender or in a food processor. Season with salt before serving. Garnish as wished.