culinary review
   
   
Recipes » Soups & Stews

Sweet and Spicy Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Last Modified: 11/11/10
First Published: 10/13/07
Views: 6836
<<     >>
 Views: 6836

What is more suiting for a fall night than pumpkin soup! Once you’ve carved your pumpkins, don’t throw away the pumpkin “meat” – utilize it for a soup. We used the meat from a large pumpkin,Pumpkin_soup however generally the smaller pumpkins are more flavorful, but the spices and flavorings in this soup make up for any lack of pumpkin taste...

This recipe is not completely exact; I made this soup adding a pinch here and a pinch there. Therefore, the spice measurements are just roundabout (thus the 1-2 teaspoons and the 2-3 teaspoons). Feel free to experiment on your own, it’s always easier to add too few spices and later add more in order to achieve a good balance!
click on any ingredient
for more information, including
measurement conversions
Measurements
 |
General Info
Servings: 4
Total Cost: $8.78
Cost Per Serving: $2.20
Total Calories: 2,179
Calories/Serving: 545
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Butter, Unsalted 3 Tablespoons 42.00 Grams $0.19 300
Pumpkin, Canned, Cooked (or freshly roasted) 2 Cups 490.00 Grams $2.70 98
Onion, Yellow Diced (1 onion) 1 Cup 160.00 Grams $0.35 67
Carrots (2 carrots, diced) 1 Cup 128.00 Grams $0.14 52
Celery, Chopped (2 stalks) 1 Cup 120.00 Grams $0.13 17
Potato, Baking (2 potatoes, diced) * 200.00 Grams $0.11 186
Garlic (2 cloves) 2 Teaspoons 5.67 Grams $0.03 8
Water 4 Cups 908.00 Grams $0.00 0
Bouillon Cubes, Chicken (2 cubes) * 24.00 Grams $0.38 60
Coconut Milk (1 can) * 14.00 Ounces $1.70 1,058
Cream, Light, Half & Half 1/4 Cup 60.50 Grams $0.33 79
Bay Leaf (1 leaf) * 5.00 Grams $0.04 17
Curry Powder 3 Teaspoons 6.30 Grams $0.32 0
Cumin, Ground 2 Teaspoons 4.20 Grams $0.30 16
Allspice, Ground 2 Teaspoons 4.00 Grams $0.77 11
Nutmeg, Ground 1/2 Teaspoon 1.17 Grams $0.23 6
Cayenne Pepper 1/2 Teaspoon 0.88 Gram $0.02 3
Brown Sugar, Packed 3 Tablespoons 41.25 Grams $0.12 155
Vinegar, Balsamic 2 Tablespoons 30.00 Grams $0.53 20
Lemon, Whole (juice from 1 lemon) * 100.00 Grams $0.37 20
Salt, Table 1 Teaspoon 6.00 Grams $0.01 0
Black Pepper, Ground 1 Teaspoon 2.13 Grams $0.02 5

The pumpkin alone is quite flavorless so you really need to add a lot of spices. I also realized as I was cooking, that the pumpkin alone wasn’t nearly sweet enough, this was easily adjusted with some brown sugar. And at the very end, when I was relatively satisfied with the spice content, I thought the soup needed a little something different, something acidic and lemon juice turned out to be the perfect choice. At that point I tasted it again, and yet I still thought it needed something more! So I turned towards my perfect go-to ingredient: balsamic vinegar. A few vinegar splashes perfected the soup, its sweet acidic taste was just right on the spot.

Once this soup was done, it was nicely balanced and very flavorful. The pumpkin really does demand to be complimented with spice, sweetness and acidity.

6 servingspumpkin

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 large potatoes, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 cups of water + 2 bullion cubes (or 4 cups of broth/stock)
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • ¼ cup of half-and-half
Spices/Flavorings
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-3 teaspoons of curry
  • 1-2 teaspoons of cumin
  • 1-2 teaspoons of allspice
  • ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon of cayenne
  • 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper
Method:Pumpkin_soup

Start sautéing the onion in the butter for a few minutes. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes and a pinch of salt and sauté for about another 10-15 minutes. At that point, add the chopped garlic, the bay leaf and about 1 teaspoon each of curry, cumin and allspice. Sautee for a few more minutes before adding the water and the bullion cube. Bring up to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Once the carrots and the potatoes are soft, take away the bay leaf and blend the soup in batches in a blender. Return to the pot and add the mashed pumpkin as well as the coconut. Bring up to a simmer and add the rest of the spices as well as the brown sugar. Depending on how thick you like your soup, add enough half-and-half to accomplish your desired consistency. Add the lemon juice, the balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper. Taste, and possibly add more spices or other flavorings.

Serve with chopped chives and a dollop of sour cream. For a heartier meal, top your soup with some sautéed sausage or bacon bits.