Pumpkin soup with sweet potato and Thai Red Curry starts with a quick herb paste that gives the soup its special touch. Ginger, chili, garlic, coriander and onions are blitzed fine, then stirred into hot stock and coconut milk. The aromas that rise from the pan take you straight to the Far East.
The Thai Red Curry goes in alongside that paste. It is one of the blends Chloë and Dax hand-blend in Belgium, and you can find it here: Thai Red Curry. One tablespoon is all this pot needs.
We like to serve this soup at dinners with friends. It is an easy recipe, ready in no time, and a real crowd pleaser. Prep takes 15 minutes, cooking 30, and it serves 4. It is a good one for a Belgian November, when the pumpkins are in.
Ingredients
- 400 g pumpkin
- 250 g sweet potato
- 3 cm fresh root ginger
- 1 red chili
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15 g coriander, stalks included
- 2 onions, quartered
- 1 tbsp ZEST Thai Red Curry
- 1 l chicken stock
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 tsp cane sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- black pepper
- 10 Thai basil leaves, torn
- 12 prawns, cooked
- 1 tsp ZEST Bird's Eye Chili Flakes
You will need: stick blender or food processor
Method
- Peel the pumpkin and sweet potato and cut them into cubes.
- Blitz the ginger, chili, garlic, coriander and onions finely with a stick blender or in a food processor.
- Heat the chicken stock over a medium heat and add the bruised lemongrass stalks and the kaffir lime leaves.
- Stir the coconut milk into the stock. Turn the heat down and add the herb paste and the Thai Red Curry. Stir well so you get no lumps. Season with cane sugar, fish sauce and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bring everything to the boil, then let it simmer gently for a few minutes.
- Add the cubes of pumpkin and sweet potato and cook the soup for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the lemongrass and the kaffir lime leaves, then blend the soup smooth with a stick blender.
- Stir in the torn Thai basil leaves last.
- Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with a few basil leaves and the cooked prawns. For extra heat, sprinkle over the Bird's Eye Chili Flakes.
Chef's Tip
Got a big pumpkin in the kitchen? Double the quantities and keep the leftover soup in sterilised jars. Whatever you serve straight away gets the full finish: a smooth, deep orange soup in a bowl, a few torn basil leaves, the cooked prawns on top and a pinch of Bird's Eye Chili Flakes scattered over the surface.
FAQ
How long does pumpkin soup with sweet potato take?
Prep takes 15 minutes and cooking takes 30, so you are at the table in about 45 minutes. Most of the cooking time is the pumpkin and sweet potato, which simmer for about 20 minutes until tender. Then you blend, stir in the basil and serve.
When does the Thai Red Curry go into the soup?
It goes in after the coconut milk, together with the herb paste, once you have turned the heat down. Stir it through well so you get no lumps. Then season with cane sugar, fish sauce and freshly ground black pepper and bring everything to the boil.
Where does the heat in this soup come from?
There are two places. The fresh red chili goes into the herb paste, and the Bird's Eye Chili Flakes go on top at the very end for extra heat. Because the flakes are the last step, you can sprinkle them on at the table.
Can I make a bigger batch of this soup?
Yes. If you have a large pumpkin, double the quantities and keep the leftover soup in sterilised jars. That way one big cook gives you soup for later.
Why are the lemongrass and lime leaves taken out before blending?
They flavour the stock as it simmers, and the recipe then removes them before the soup is blended smooth with a stick blender. The soup keeps their aroma, and what goes into the blender is only the vegetables and the stock.
What equipment do I need?
A stick blender or a food processor. You use it twice: once to blitz the herb paste, and once to blend the finished soup smooth.
Put Bird's Eye Chili Flakes in your basket next to the Thai Red Curry, then cook this soup for your next dinner with friends.
