Thai Spicy Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Pumpkin

• ▢3 pound (1.3 kg) pumpkin or winter squash (we like kabocha squash best)*

• ▢½ tablespoon coconut oil, or neutral-flavored oil of choice

• ▢½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ▢½ teaspoon white pepper

• ▢¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

​

Soup

• ▢1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or ¾ teaspoon ground cumin)

• ▢1 teaspoon coriander seeds (or ¾ teaspoon ground coriander)

• ▢1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or freshly cracked black pepper)

• ▢¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ▢¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ▢1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, or neutral-flavored oil of choice

• ▢3 large shallots, chopped (or 1 small yellow onion)

• ▢6 garlic cloves, chopped

• ▢2 inch piece ginger, grated or minced (okay to leave peel on)

• ▢2 stalks fresh lemongrass** outer papery layers removed, then minced

• ▢1 13.5-ounce (400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk

• ▢2 tablespoons red curry paste

• ▢3 cups (720 mL) vegan “chicken” broth or good-quality vegetable broth***

• ▢12 dried Makrut lime leaves or 6 fresh lime leaves****

• ▢1 ½ tablespoons coconut sugar or organic brown sugar, more as needed

• ▢1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Thai soy sauce (or 2 TBSP + 1 tsp regular soy sauce)

 

GARNISHES

• ▢Crispy Asian shallots

• ▢Red chilli

• ▢Fresh coriander leaves

• ▢Roti (the flaky kind)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400ºF/205ºC. Using a sharp knife, slice the pumpkin in half. If too hard, microwave the whole squash for 2 minutes to soften. Scoop out the seeds using a spoon.

• Roast the pumpkin. Mix together the ½ tbsp of the oil, salt, white pepper, and cinnamon in a small bowl until it’s almost like a paste. Use a pastry brush or your hands to brush inside the cavities of the pumpkin/squash only, but not on the top outer rims. For the top outer rims, just brush lightly with oil (no spices, or they will burn).

• Place the pumpkin halves, flesh side down, on a rimmed sheet pan. Prick the skin with a knife to allow venting. Roast until the pumpkin is very soft, about 40 to 45 minutes.

 

While the pumpkin roasts, prep and make everything else in the next 3 steps.

• Crush the spices. Using an electric spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind up the cumin and coriander seeds but don’t fully grind, leaving a little texture. Stir in the white pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric for your spice blend.

 

If you don’t have either, crush them using the back of a heavy mug or a cast iron skillet, or add them to a ziploc and roll back and forth with a rolling pin or smash with a mallet.

• Make the soup. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with the 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass with a pinch of salt, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until shallots and garlic just start to get some color. If it starts to stick, add a splash of water to scrape up the food bits. Add the spice mix and stir almost constantly for 30 seconds.

• Add a few tablespoons of coconut milk to deglaze and pick up food bits. Once bubbling, add the curry paste. Fry for a few minutes, tossing frequently to prevent sticking. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, broth, lime leaves, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Scoop out the lime leaves but keep them for now.

• Blend the soup. While pumpkin is still warm, scoop out the flesh using a large spoon or peel the skin with your hands. Transfer the flesh to the blender; discard the skin. Add the warm soup and blend until smooth and creamy.

Taste the soup. If you want a stronger flavor from the lime leaves, add some to the soup and blend again.

• Serve topped with garnishes. Dunk in roti. Enjoy!