Curried Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup flavored with mild curry spices is absolutely robust during winter. The sweetness of the pumpkin, subtle warmth of the spices and the flair from the yogurt gives an exotic taste. I’m glad that I pureed and froze the pie pumpkin when in season. It came in handy to make this creamy, yet light soup. I loathe using canned products. In fact, I have never used canned pumpkin puree. I made this as an appetizer for Bashed Potatoes, served with a side salad. It was a complete meal.

Serves 2

2 cups Pumpkin puree *Can use canned puree, not pie filling.

2 tablespoons Onion (chopped)

1/4 cup Tomatoes (chopped)

2 Garlic pods (chopped)

1 Serrano pepper (chopped) *optional, can use green chillies or substitute with crushed black peppers

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon Cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala powder

1/2 cup Vegetable stock * I used homemade vegetable stock. Can use store bought stock or plain water

2 teaspoon Grapeseed oil *Can use butter or oil of choice

1 tablespoon Heavy cream * Can use Milk/ Half and Half / Evaporated milk

1 tablespoon Yogurt * I used strained non-fat greek yogurt. Whip the yogurt before stirring into the soup.

Salt to taste

Cilantro sprig for garnish

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add garlic, onion and serrano pepper. Saute’ until tender. Add chopped tomatoes and stir well. Cover the pan and cook till the tomato is soft.

2. Add turmeric powder and cumin powder. Stir well without burning the powdered spices. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

3. Add pumpkin puree and simmer keeping the lid ajar for 10 minutes. If the soup is thick, add some stock or water to adjust consistency. If watery, simmer for a few more minutes.

4. Once you reach the desired consistency, spoon in cream and stir well. Heat through without boiling the soup. Whisk in the whipped yogurt. Add salt as per taste preference. Sprinkle garam masala powder.

5. Garnish with Cilantro leaves and serve hot. This soup can be made 2 days ahead and reheated before serving. This can be frozen for later use. Thaw and reheat before use.

We had it with Bashed Potatoes 🙂