Curried Pumpkin Coconut Soup

The best ever spicy and flavorful pumpkin soup!

Are you a traditional person who sticks to classic foods or open to new flavors and tropical nuances? I think curiosity is a fundamental aspect of life, and while most of the people like to stay around their comfort zone, I always try to get out of it to open my mind to the unknown. Experiencing new things allows to get to know ourselves better than we might think to know! That’s why I always like to introduce ‘out of ordinary’ dishes at the restaurant where I’m working at the moment. 

Having travelled in Thailand for many years I found myself addicted to coconutty flavors. The creaminess of coconut really pairs well with everything. So versatile, you can use it for sweets and savory dishes. Being so fatty it gives a thick and smooth texture to soups, plus the masaman curry paste I add to it it’s a flavor explosion. In Thailand they use to put different types of curries to food preparations, and it’s not a powder like we are used to know, but it is a dense paste. The one I’m going to use for this recipe is red curry paste, and you can easily get it from asian grocery stores.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 450 g sweet and ripe Pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 shallot
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups canned coconut milk
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp whole sugar
• 1 tsp massaman curry paste (or red curry paste)

WHAT TO DO

Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops of the sugar pumpkins and then halve them. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out all of the seeds and strings and cut into chunks. Now bring to a boil some salted water and cook until the pumpkin gets soft (use a fork to check). Now drain it and in a pot put all the other ingredients together with the pumpkin chunks. With an immersion blender turn it into a very creamy puree processing for few minutes. Eventually you can also work everything into a blender and pour then into the pot. Bring to a boil again stirring once in a while and it’s then ready to be served. If you want to surprise your guests you can sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top and use a soy yoghurt dressing to create a beautiful marble effect. 

What are you waiting for? Grab a knife and start preparing your own!