As the weather starts to turn colder, I begin to crave hot bowls of soup with a side of crusty bread. This soup starts the way all great soups do — with sweating onion and garlic in hot oil. But then it takes a slight left turn with the addition of ginger, lemongrass and curry to give a Thai twist to the autumn classic, pumpkin soup. It's warming, filling and unique, and guaranteed to make you wonder what else you're missing in your recipe box.
The best part of this recipe is that it improves after a day or so, making it the perfect meal prep for a thermos lunch or weeknight dinner.
Thai Pumpkin Coconut Soup
6
15 minutes
30 minutes
45 minutes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 stalk lemongrass
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ of a 14-ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk
1 red Thai chili (optional)
Juice of one lime
Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
When it begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic with the pinch of salt and sweat until the onion begins to turn translucent.
Peel the outermost leaves off the lemongrass and gently whack the stalks with a mallet or rolling pin to release the flavor. Chop the stalk into about four pieces and add them to the onion and garlic, along with the ginger, coriander and red curry paste. Cook one additional minute.
Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable broth and chili if you're using one, and bring the mixture to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and bring the mixture back to a simmer.
Transfer the liquid to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree everything until it is smooth.
Add the lime juice and serve.