By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
October 30th, 2023
Image Credit: Unsplash
Spooky season is here with the abundance of pumpkins and a beautiful fall breeze. This soup comes together quickly, and has warm notes of ginger, curry, cumin, coriander, and black pepper. Great flavor additions that enhance, not detract, from the pumpkin. You'll want to use sugar pumpkins (sometimes also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. You can also substitute kobocha pumpkins, Long Island cheese pumpkins or even butternut squash for this recipe. Here's the recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Soup.
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1 pumpkin, about 1.5-2kg (save the seeds – toast them in a dry pan to serve) 1tbsp garam masala 2tsp ground coriander 2tsp ground cumin ½-1tsp chilli flakes or powder, plus a pinch 3tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 900ml veg stock 100ml double cream or crème fraiche, plus extra to serve
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Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut into wedges or chunks (keep the skin on) and tip into a bowl. Put the garam masala, and 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin into a small bowl and mix with 2 tbsp of the oil and season.
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Drizzle over the pumpkin and toss well to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a baking tray, spread out evenly and roast for 40-45 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until the pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.
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Fry onions with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and remaining spices and chilli flakes, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
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When the pumpkin is cool enough to touch, use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh from the skins. Add the soft pumpkin to the stock pan, discarding the skins. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until creamy and smooth. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of more cream and a pinch of chilli to serve. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, if you like.
Image Credit: The Endless Meal