Since I have lived in London (a decade and a half), I have worked for some of the best Japanese and Pan-Asian restaurants. One thing I loved about these jobs was walking into the kitchen every morning and being greeted by a cacophony of smells from various sauces and curry pastes cooking away and the air fragrant with herbs and spices. This roast pumpkin soup is a reminder of the flavours and smells of those times in the kitchens. It was one of my most requested soups, and as I take you through it, you will see that it is so easy to make.
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This soup is infused with the flavours of Asia. Lemongrass, sweet coconut milk and ginger make this soup so delicious. A kick is provided with red chilli. Great-tasting recipes don't have to include loads of ingredients. As my first boss used to say to me, Tripti, always remember K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid!
Want more pumpkin recipes? Well, try my pumpkin Meloni.
I posted it as a way to use Halloween pumpkins usefully, but you can use any pumpkin to make it.
Right, let's cook!
Ingredients
- Pumpkin
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Coconut milk
- Vegetable stock
- Olive oil
- Chilli
- Lemon grass
- Bay leaf
- Peppercorns
- Sea salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To begin, prepare your ingredients:
- Peel and roughly chop the onions, garlic and ginger.
- Cut the pumpkin, remove the seeds (no need to peel the skin) and cut it into even slices, not too thick or thin (see the video). This is so they cook evenly.
- Remove the outer leaves of the lemongrass and set aside. Finely chop the softer inside part.
- Cut one whole red chilli into large dice, retaining the seeds.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bay leaf and peppercorns. Then add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions soften.
Next, add the pumpkin slices and cook until they start caramelising (this means they will be a bit charred and look roasted).
Add the lemon grass and chilli and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Add the outer leaves of the lemon grass and pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Skim the froth from the top and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
While the soup is cooking, wash the pumpkin seeds. Mix the seeds with a small amount of oil, paprika, or any spice of your choice, and roast in a pan or oven for the garnish.
Cool down and remove the outer leaves of lemon grass and discard.
Remove the bay leaves and discard them.
Puree the soup in a blender.
Bring the puree back to the pot and heat it; add coconut milk and mix.
Serve hot, garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds and thinly sliced chillies without seeds.
Substitutions
You can use dried lemon grass to flavour the soup; however, the flavour will alter; fresh is best. Frozen lemongrass works just as well.
Variations
For this roast pumpkin soup, I have used Musquee de Provance pumpkin. It is a heritage pumpkin variety. They are sweet and perfect for soups. If you do not have access to this pumpkin variety, I recommend crown prince pumpkin. Failing this, you can use any pumpkin that you can buy. Since each pumpkin is different, it will impart its level of sweetness and flavour. You can also use the Halloween pumpkin. I have tried this recipe with them, and it's just as good.
Storage
This soup can be made in bulk and frozen. As always, the best practice is to defrost overnight in the fridge and bring it to a boil before consuming.
Top Tips
Make your vegetable stock by following my guide in the soups category.
FAQ
This culinary term often appears in recipes. It is the process of cooking ingredients in relatively small amounts of oil or fat over medium to high heat. The French word sauté means "jumped up" and refers to tossing the ingredients in the pan. Ingredients are usually cut into small pieces to increase the surface area and facilitate fast cooking.
Related Recipes
Here are some more delicious soup ideas:
📖 Recipe
Asian Style Roasted Pumpkin and Coconut Soup
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg Musquee de Provance or Halloween Pumpkin
- 200 g Red onions
- 20 g Garlic
- 20 g Ginger
- 2 sticks Lemongrass
- 1 l Vegetable stock
- 2 nos Red chilli
- 1 nos Bay leaf
- 10 nos Peppercorns
- 400 ml Coconut milk
- 10 g Olive oil
- 5 g Roasted pumpkin seeds optional
- 1 tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the onions, garlic and ginger.
- Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Slice the pumpkin into even slices (the skin can stay on), not too thick or thin (see the video) This is to promote even cooking.
- Remove the outer leaves of the lemongrass and set aside. Finely chop the softer inside part.
- Cut one whole red chilli into large dices, retaining the seeds. Save the other chilli for garnish.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium high heat. Add the bay leaf and peppercorns.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft.
- Add the pumpkin slices and cook until they start to caramelise (this means that they will be a bit charred and look roasted)
- Add the lemongrass and chilli. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add the outer leaves of the lemon grass and pour in the vegetable stock. Season with salt, cover and bring to a boil.
- While the soup is cooking, wash the pumpkin seeds. Mix the seeds with a small amount of oil, paprika, or any spice of your choice, and roast in a pan or oven for the garnish.
- Skim the foam from the top and simmer for 20 minutesminutes, until the pumpkin is soft.
- Let the soup cool down and remove the outer leaves of lemon grass and discard.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard them.
- Puree the soup in a blender.
- Bring the puree back to the pot and heat it. Add coconut milk and mix.
- Serve hot, garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds and thinly sliced chillies without seeds.
Nutrition
Food Safety
In a professional kitchen, food hygiene and safety are top priorities, and from the beginning of my training, I practised good habits and routines. Of course, practising good food hygiene and safety at home is also essential. Here are some fundamental practices to adopt in the kitchen.
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
For more details regarding food hygiene and safety in the home, visit the UK Government's Food Standards Agency webpage.
Antara
made this tonight! and it was AMAZING!! so good for this chilly weather, so warming and filling 🙂
Chef Tripti
thank you very much!
John Li
Flavor was sublime! Really enjoyed it 🙂
Chef Tripti
thank you very much!