Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil or ghee in a heavy pot and sauté the garlic, shallots and ginger for a few minutes. Add the spices and a couple of pinches of sea salt and sauté until deeply fragrant and lightly colored, another 5 minutes or so. Now add the carrots and stir to coat. Pour in 3 cups of stock (and/or water) and the orange juice (setting aside the zest for later). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered, until carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes or more. Add more stock/water as needed; there should always be liquid in the pot. While this is cooking, make the croutons.

Once the carrots are quite soft, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Then puree to a velvety texture in your blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender. Add more stock or water as needed to achieve the consistency you like, and/or stir in a few tablespoons of plain yogurt. Pour back into your pot to re-heat. Stir in the orange zest and taste for salt. Serve hot, garnished with croutons. This soup is also delicious served cold with a dollop of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt.