Spicy Pumpkin Soup
A lovely, easy pumpkin soup recipe full of nourishing and warming spices. It's perfect for a simple supper or weekend lunch. Make a double batch and freeze it for weekday lunches, too.
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Servings: people
Ingredients
- 700-800 g pumpkin or butternut squash. Peeled and cubed or roasted/softenend in the microwave
- 1 large yellow onion - thinly sliced
- 1 bulb fennel including all fonds - thinly sliced
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1-2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½ scant tsp turmeric
- 2 petals star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp fenugreek
- 1 heaped tbsp ginger garlic paste (2-3 cm of ginger and 2 garlic cloves grated or whizzed in a mini mouli)
- 600-700 litre approx chicken or vegetable stock
- olive oil
- salt to taste
Mint Yoghurt
- 3-4 tbsp Greek yoghurt or similar (sour cream, creme fraiche or cream)
- handful mint leaves (stems removed and finely chopped)
Garam Masala Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½-1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a wide saucepan, saute the onion and fennel until they are soft and golden. Add the diced pumpkin and all the spices - including the ginger garlic paste.
- If you are using raw pumpkin, saute it with the onion and fennel for 8-10 minutes or until softened before adding the spices.
- Toss the mixture well to coat the vegetables in the spice. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes before adding ¾ of the stock. Bring back to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer over low heat until the pumpkin and vegetables are soft and ready to puree.
- Let the soup cool so you can puree it safely with a stem mixer. Season with salt if required. Bring it back to the heat and add enough stock to achieve your desired thickness. Bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat before serving.
- While the soup is cooling, put the pumpkin seeds into a dry frying pan and toast until they crackle and are crunchy. Add ½ tsp olive oil, make sure all the seeds are lightly coated, sprinkle over the Garam Masala and salt, shake and turn off the heat.
- Serve with garlic naan bread and a swirl of yoghurt - whipped with the finely chopped mint and sprinkled with the toasted pumpkin seeds.
