Thai Style Pumpkin Soup with Coconut and Red Lentils
Thick, creamy, deeelicious…
Many many moons, or rather what feels like a whole other life-time ago, I ran a very busy cafe and catering business down in Melbourne
And this was one of our most popular soups
Pumpkin soup with Coconut, Ginger and Coriander
I’ve given the original version a bit of a healthy ‘shake-up’ by adding red lentils…
red lentils
Why?
Well, red lentils add a healthy source of protein to this soup and help boost the fibre content
Also, since they are low GI, adding them can help slow digestion and keep you feeling full for longer
Pumpkin is such a great Autumn vegetable, very versatile and so incredibly healthy. In fact, pumpkin:
- is a great source of beta-carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A as the body needs it. Vitamin A is an antioxidant, important for eye health and the immune system
- is an excellent source of potassium, a mineral which can help balance the effects of too much salt on blood pressure
- contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, known to help slow the development of macular degeneration
- is high in fibre and a good source of Vitamin C
This soup is made quicker and easier by not having to peel the pumpkin (the skin is an excellent source of fibre too), which I highly recommend if you are using a home-grown or organic pumpkin…
leave the skin on the pumpkin – not only does it save time, but it adds nutrients!
This is a very delicious soup; the perfect way to warm you up when the weather turns cooler
As it has just done in Sydney!
- 1 large brown onion, diced
- ½ large red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1.3 kg Jap or Kent pumpkin, deseeded, skin on, roughly diced
- 2 medium carrots (250 grams) roughly chopped
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1½ litres vegetable stock
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 bunch coriander, separate stems and leaves, wash well, rougly chop stems, chop leaves and reserve for garnish
- A thumb sized piece (10 grams) of ginger, roughly chopped
- A thumb sized piece (10 grams) of fresh turmeric, or 1 teaspoon dried turmeric
- Pepper, to taste
- Heat a large pot over medium heat
- When hot add onion, chilli and oil and saute for 5 minutes until onion softens and starts to brown
- Add pumpkin, carrots, lentils and stock. Place a lid on the pot and bring to the boil
- Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, or until pumpkin and carrots are soft
- Allow to cool slightly before adding the coconut milk, coriander stalks, ginger and turmeric, then either carefully puree the soup using a hand blender, or in batches using a food processor
- Add pepper to taste
- Stir through half of the chopped coriander leaves
- Serve soup garnished with remaining coriander leaves
