Pumpkin soup
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Instructions
Tips
Peeling a pumpkin for pumpkin soup is not too difficult. Start by cutting off the top and bottom so you get two flat surfaces that make it easier to manage. Now use either a knife or peeler to remove the skin. Make sure to cut away from yourself.
Tips
After removing the skin, slice the pumpkin in half and clean it by removing its seeds and fibrous strings. This is most easily done with a large metal spoon or an ice cream scoop. You can then cut the halves into smaller pieces to make cutting them into cubes easier.
Questions about pumpkin soup
This recipe for pumpkin soup makes it incredibly easy to make a warming meal full of Thai-inspired flavours. Have a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about the dish below to learn more.
Ingredients
Pumpkin soup:
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Peeled pumpkins, for instance, Halloween (field) pumpkin, Hokkaido, or butternut squash
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900 g |
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Lemon grass
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2 stalks |
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Fresh ginger, peeled
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40 g |
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Butter
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40 g |
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Vegetable broth
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1½ l |
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Bay leaves
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2 |
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Freshly squeezed lemon juice
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3 tbsp |
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Coarse salt
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1½ tsp |
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Freshly churned pepper
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Garnished with:
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Sour cream, 18%
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250 ml |
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Fresh coriander leaves
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Served with:
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Wholemeal bread
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300 g |
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Pumpkin soup bursting with flavours
A simple pumpkin soup with sweet and earthy flavours lends itself well to experimenting with flavour profiles from different cuisines. In this recipe, we have chosen to find inspiration in the immensely popular Thai cuisine by adding lemongrass and ginger and garnishing with coriander.
Our recipe also calls for the use of bay leaves, which infuse the dish with a subtle bitterness that prevents it from becoming too heavy, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to brighten it as well. This combination of ingredients results in a flavour-packed soup and a delicious, multi-faceted eating experience.
Thai-inspired with ginger and lemongrass
As mentioned, this recipe is heavily influenced by Thai cuisine. The addition of lemongrass gives it a wonderfully fresh, citrussy flavour with hints of mint, while the ginger brings a pronounced, warm spice flavour with a peppery taste to the soup.
The sharpness of both the ginger and lemongrass complement the mellow sweetness of the pumpkin and their aroma gives this ginger pumpkin soup a terrific, delightful smell that will fill up your kitchen as you cook it.
Serve with sour cream and herbs
This recipe is not complete without a selection of delicious toppings, and a zingy pumpkin soup goes well with ice-cold sour cream and fresh coriander leaves.
The creamy sour cream as well as the citrussy coriander add a layer of freshness. They also leave a cooling sensation on the palate which works nicely with the warming flavours of this pumpkin and ginger soup.
Serve the dish with bread, for example, wholemeal bread, sourdough bread, or even a decorative, round sunflower seed bread to complete the meal.
Choose the best pumpkin
The best pumpkins for soups are firm and hard in the flesh as varieties with softer flesh tend to make soups watery rather than thick and creamy. While you can, of course, opt for the Halloween one, also known as a field pumpkin, you will get a more flavourful result if you choose a butternut squash or Hokkaido.
A Hokkaido pumpkin soup will have scrumptious, sweet nutty undertones. One made with butternut squash will, too, as it tastes similar to sweet potatoes. As a bonus, the thin skin of these pumpkins does not need to be removed, making the whole thing easy to work with.
Regardless of which variety you select, seek out hard, heavy, and blemish-free pumpkins that make a hollow sound when you knock on them.
If all this talk about pumpkins has made you curious about what else you can cook with them, we suggest having a look at our equally delicious recipe for roast pumpkin salad.
Make a spicy pumpkin soup
To add some heat to this flavourful dish, add either fresh chilli or chilli flakes or powder to it. The kick this will bring to your homemade pumpkin soup is sure to make your tastebuds tingle!
Aromatic spices like turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon are also popular in Thai cuisine and will be great choices for spicy Thai-inspired soups like this one. If you do not want to spend too much time making the perfect mix of herbs or spices for pumpkin soup with ginger and lemongrass, you can easily opt for preprepared ones like the Indian garam masala or the Chinese five spice mix.
