Soup-er Man!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Soup-er Man! Oh, that is lame! Sorry about that. I will crawl back to my hole now. But first, I just want to share my latest adventure in the kitchen before I stop spamming you (two posts in about 12 hours). If you decided to follow in my footsteps and make the Pumpkin Guinness Stew from my previous post then you probably have 1/2 a pumpkin left and are cursing me for putting you in such a predicament. Don’t fear – my recipe researching superpowers are to the rescue with a Thai Curry Pumpkin Soup that is amazing! If you like green chicken curry, or any other coconut based curry dishes then you are going to enjoy this one. Add the fact that it is so simple to make and I will definitely be doing this one again during the cold winter months.
I believe I found this recipe for Thai Curry Pumpkin Soup at www.tastespotting.com again, but it isn’t in my favorites there and so I can’t be certain. I pretty much followed the recipe as it is with just a few minor adjustments/guesstimates . First, guessing one person’s pumpkin sizing to another is impossible. I estimate that I probably had about 4 cups of mashed pumpkin after baking and scooping what I had leftover from the stew. Also, since we had sushi last night I simply used the leftover ginger from that and diced it really fine, rather than getting ginger root and grating it – I also probably used about 2 tsps of it rather than 1 (I like ginger). I also doubled the red curry paste to 4 tsps, which created a perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Lastly, I only used about 1.5 cups of vegetable broth as I like my soups thicker, like a pea soup consistency. Of course, all of these ratios change a bit depending on the size of the pumpkin used and your personal preferences, so just use this as a guideline.
Here is my version of the recipe:
1 large pumpkin, 8-10 lbs, cut in half and seeds removed (about 4 cups once mashed) (or you could use two large cans of pumpkin, or a butternut squash or two)
salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
4 tsp Thai red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen, which is gluten-free)
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1.5 cups vegetable broth
minced chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly season pumpkin halves with salt and brush with butter. (can use olive oil if you prefer) Place skin-side down on a baking sheet, and allow to roast until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove and allow to cool.
In a large stock pot, bring olive oil to medium heat and add garlic, ginger, curry paste, and coriander. Allow to cook for a minute or two, stirring, just until it becomes fragrant. Add pumpkin and coconut milk and stir, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from heat, and puree. (I used a hand blender, but if you don’t have one, you can blend in batches with your blender or food processor.) Place back on heat and stir in broth, a little at a time, until the soup is at the desired consistency. Taste, and add salt and pepper as necessary. Keep at a simmer for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish with minced chives. Serves 5-6.
This recipe was so easy to make – 15 minutes after starting I had some yummy soup on the table. I had planned on making this before I even started the stew the other night and so I baked the pumpkin half and mashed it as the stew cooked. Even if you bake the pumpkin the day of making the soup, it is just 45 minutes in the oven on its own – not too difficult. I combined this with a asian coleslaw salad and a baguette with some fresh cheese for a hearty and delicious lunch. Oh God, I sound like those pretentious food bloggers… shoot me now!
