Pumpkin Coconut Soup
A warming, filling, herbacous soup that is as healthy as it is tasty.
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2-3 Thai chilis (optional)
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom parts only
- 4-6 lime leaves
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 tbsp grapeseed oil or coconut oil
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 4-4½ lbs pumpkin
- 1 small bunch cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Preheat a thick-bottomed pot on medium heat, adding the oil once it's warm. Dice the onion and sauté until translucent. Turn down to medium low.
- Mince garlic and chilis, if using. Grate ginger, wash and chop cilantro stems. Sauté everything together on medium low.
- Peel and seed the pumpkins, or whatever squash you have. A thinner skinned squash willl yield more flesh, so you could start with 3½-4 lbs. Chop into roughly evenly sized cubes and add to the pot.
- Add water just to cover, then add coconut milk and 2 tsp of salt.
- Chop lemongrass and wrap in cheesecloth or put into a dispoable tea bag and add to soup. Add lime leaves and salt.
- Bring to a boil then turn heat down and simmer until pumpkin is soft, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool a bit.
- Rinse seeds, discarding most of the stringy flesh. Don't worry if you don't get it all, it will dry up and separate more easily after baking. Cover seeds in 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tsp of salt.
- Spread on a parchment-lined rimmed cookie sheet. Toast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Toast until golden brown.
- Come back to your soup. Just before you pour it in the blender, remove the lemongrass and lime leaves. Fill the blender no more than 2/3 full, and make sure there's a little ventilation if it's still steaming hot. You do not want your kitchen to look like a Jackson Pollack painintg.
- Blend until silky smooth. Pour back into the pot to reheat before serving. Top with cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and unsweetened toasted coconut, if you have it. Voilà!