I have been making pumpkin soup since my first year of flatting. Three dollars for a pumpkin could feed the whole flat and warm up the insides when you could see your breath inside. This is a slightly fancier version refined over the years but still very cost effective. This soup has the power of orange. Orange pumpkins, kumara, carrots, turmeric and red curry paste make for an amazing coloured and extremely healthy soup.
Turmeric deserves special mention as a newly recognised superfood . Having recently become established as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, Turmeric has positive effects on many health conditions, including Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohns disease and cancer as well as many others. The active agent in turmeric (curcumin) acts in all three chemo protective ways. As an antioxidants, an antiproliferative and carcinogen protective agent.
Pumpkin Soup
Vegan and gluten free
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
2 heaped tsp red curry paste
A splash of oil
1 small pumpkin (I find butternut or squash tastier than crown)
1 orange kumara
2 carrots
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric
1 can coconut milk
4-5 cups of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Date paste (or brown sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish (optional)
In a large pot saute onions and garlic in oil until soft.
While these are sauteing, peel pumpkin,carrot and kumara, then chop in to small chunks. Stir red curry paste into your onions for a further few minutes. Throw in your chunky veges. Shake the veges so they settle and add stock until it just about covers the veges. Pour a small amount of your coconut milk into a cup to use for garnish then add to pot along with the rest of the ingredients. Let the soup boil on medium until the veges are soft (about 15-20 minutes). Take off heat and whiz with a magic soup or in a blender.
Serve into bowls, drizzle with left over coconut milk and sprinkles of parsley.