Spiced pumpkin soup recipe
by Monica Shaw
8
60 minutes
Ingredients

Spiced pumpkin soup

  • 3 tbsp of butter, coconut oil or a neutral oil like grapeseed
  • 1.4kg pumpkin, or other winter squash (crown prince, butternut, kabocha etc.) peeled and cut into 2-3cm cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp of curry powder, (see below)
  • 1.1l vegetable stock, or water

Optional garnishes

  • Greek yoghurt
  • coconut milk, (instead of yoghurt if catering for vegans)
  • spring onions, sliced
  • coriander, chopped
  • selection of seeds, toasted

Homemade curry powder

  • 1/4 nutmeg, broken into smaller pieces
  • 5 cardamom pods, seeds only
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick, 3cm in length
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp of cumin seeds
  • 4 tbsp of coriander seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 curry leaves, dried
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
Method
1
To make the curry powder, place all of the ingredients (except the fenugreek) to a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly toasted and fragrant. During the last few moments, add the fenugreek
2
Allow everything to cool and then grind to a fine powder (you can use a high-powered blender for this, or a spice or coffee grinder). Store in a well-sealed container. This will keep nicely for a few months
3
To make the soup, place the butter or oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. When hot, add the pumpkin and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft
4
Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant for a minute or so. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is totally soft (for approximately 30 minutes)
5
Blitz the soup with an immersion blender or jug blender. If using a jug blender, allow the soup cool a little as hot liquids can be explosive when blended. Serve hot with garnishes of your choice