Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk

I don't make soups that often and when I make it, I tend to repeat a few same favourite recipes, like this one. This week dinners were inspired by improvising with whatever I could find in my emptying fridge. And sometimes I get lucky to find some long forgotten goodies hiding in the furthest corner or at the back of a vegetable tray. Initially, I was not planning to post this soup recipe, but that changed once I tasted it. So creamy and comforting, slightly sweet pumpkin, just noticeable trace of roasted garlic, smoothing coconut milk, roasted cumin seeds explode with flavour once you bite into one. I had to add green chili, but not too much, as I like a little kick in my food, but it can be skipped if you prefer it more bland. Bacon is absolutely optional, we just like when there is something chewable in a creamy soup. Bacon can be replaced with, for example, roasted pumpkin seeds.

You will need (makes 3 servings): 250 g pumpkin 1 medium onion, sliced 3-4 garlic cloves 200 ml coconut milk ~2 cups of chicken/vegetable stock (a cube dissolved in water will also do) 1 green chili, halved and seeds removed (optional) salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp cumin seeds, dry roasted some bacon pieces, fried (optional) 1 tsp of oil for frying 1. Cut the pumpkin into a few big pieces and boil it in a little bit of water for around 5-7 minutes or until it becomes soft. Let it cool down and cut off the skin and put pumpkin flesh into a blender/food processor. 2. Roast the whole garlic cloves for about 10-12 minutes at 200 C in the oven. 3. Heat up some oil in a frying pan and fry the onions till they brown slightly and get nicely caramelized. 4. Add peeled roasted garlic cloves and the onion into the blender along with the pumpkin flesh and blend it till you get a smooth paste. You can add a drop of water if needed. 5. In a soup pot, mix together 2/3 of coconut milk and about 2 cups of chicken/vegetable stock. Add the pumpkin pure and green chili halves and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for a little bit, see if you need to add more water. Season it with salt and pepper to your liking and just before it is done, mix in the rest of fresh coconut milk. 5. Just before serving, garnish with roasted cumin seeds and fried bacon pieces or roasted pumpkin seeds (optional).

Enjoy!