Thai Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Photo courtesy Croplife Canada

While tonight may be Halloween, don’t let it be the end of your pumpkin eating. This nutritious squash is packed with an assortment of nutritional goodies including beta carotene, fibre, potassium and vitamin K.

Here’s a sampling of why you might want to include pumpkin on a regular basis on your menu. The recipe is from a wonderful recipe book called From Farm to Food from Croplife Canada which celebrates Canada’s farmers through the seasons with recipes from the best across the country. This soup is from dietitian  Erin Macgregor, of the website How to Eat.

Be sure to order a copy of your own from https://croplife.ca/order-cookbook/.

Thai Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Makes four 1½ cup servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes for pumpkin purée, 15 minutes for soup, 30 minutes for pumpkin seeds

Recipe note: Preparing homemade pumpkin purée is a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. They can seed, scoop out the flesh and help purée and flavour the seeds for roasting. Bonus: They’re much more likely to try it if they’re involved in preparing it!

Ingredients

Homemade Pumpkin Purée:

1 pie pumpkin

Soup:

1 tbsp canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced, fresh ginger (about a 1” piece)
1 tbsp red thai curry paste
400mL can of coconut milk
2 cups pumpkin pureé (canned or homemade – recipe below)
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp fresh lime juice

Pumpkin Seeds:

1½ cups fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed and well dried (seeds from 1 pie pumpkin).
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Pumpkin Purée:

Remove stem from pumpkin and cut in half from top to bottom. Remove seeds, using kitchen shears or a knife as needed to detach any stringy bits.

Place pumpkin halves cut side down in a microwave safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes.

Allow pumpkin to cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and transfer to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as needed.

Freeze leftover pumpkin in flattened freezer bags.

Soup:

In a large pot over medium heat, add canola oil and onions and sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic, ginger and curry paste and sauté for 30 more seconds.

Add coconut milk, pumpkin purée, chicken broth, fish sauce and sugar and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Using a handheld immersion blender, purée the soup OR transfer to a blender and purée in small batches. Return to the saucepan to reheat if needed. Add lime juice.

Garnish individual bowls with spiced pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Seeds:

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a small bowl, whisk together salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Add pumpkin seeds and oil and toss to coat.

Transfer to a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.