Roasted pumpkin soup gets its depth from the oven. Rub pumpkin wedges with oil and Chiang Mai Curry, roast at 200°C for about 40 minutes until the edges brown, then blend smooth with a stick blender and hot stock. Finish each bowl with a pinch of Chiang Mai Curry.
Why Chiang Mai suits roasted pumpkin
Chiang Mai sits in northern Thailand, and its best-known dish is khao soi, a curry noodle soup. Chiang Mai Curry is built around that region's flavours. Our professional chefs Chloë and Dax hand-blend it in Belgium with Thai bird's eye chilies, cinnamon, cumin, black cardamom, galangal, shallots, coriander seeds, kaffir lime zest, turmeric and lemongrass.
That list does something useful to pumpkin. Roasting turns the flesh sweet and gives it dark, caramelised edges. The warm spices and the chili heat cut through that sweetness, so the soup tastes of more than squash. Read more in our story of authentic Thai flavours in Chiang Mai, or cook the khao soi noodle soup when you want the dish the blend is named after.
This soup uses the jar twice. It goes on the pumpkin before the oven, where the heat toasts it onto the cut edges. A pinch goes over the bowl at the end, so you smell it before the first spoon.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Hokkaido pumpkin (weight after removing the seeds), cut into wedges about 4 cm wide
- 2 tsp Chiang Mai Curry, for the rub
- ½ tsp Chiang Mai Curry, for finishing the bowls
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil or rapeseed oil
- 1 large onion (about 150 g), cut into 8 wedges
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 700 ml hot vegetable stock, plus a splash extra to loosen
- 1 lime, juiced (about 30 ml)
- ½ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
- 10 g fresh coriander leaves, to serve
- 4 tbsp (60 g) crème fraîche, optional, to swirl on top
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut it into wedges about 4 cm wide. Leave the skin on a Hokkaido, as it softens in the oven and blends in. If you use another pumpkin with a tough skin, peel it.
- Put the pumpkin and onion wedges in a large bowl. Add the oil, the salt and 2 tsp Chiang Mai Curry. Rub it in with your hands until every wedge is coated.
- Spread everything on the tray with the pumpkin cut side down, in one layer with a little space between the pieces. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Turn the pumpkin wedges and add the garlic cloves in their skins. Roast for another 20 minutes, 40 minutes in total. The edges should be deep golden brown with a few darker, almost dark brown spots, and a knife should slide through the thickest part with no resistance. If the edges are still pale, give it 5 more minutes.
- Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skins. Move the pumpkin, onion and garlic to a large pot. Pour 100 ml of the hot stock onto the hot tray and scrape up the sticky browned bits, then tip that into the pot too.
- Add the remaining 600 ml hot stock. Blend with a stick blender for 1 to 2 minutes until completely smooth. Put the pot on a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until steaming. If it is too thick, add a splash of stock. Stir in the lime juice and taste for salt.
- Ladle into warm bowls. Sprinkle a small pinch of Chiang Mai Curry over each bowl (about ⅛ tsp, so ½ tsp for four), then add coriander leaves and a spoonful of crème fraîche if you like.
Chef's Tip
Before you blend, lift four of the darkest roasted pumpkin pieces out of the pot and keep them aside. Lay one on top of each bowl, then add the pinch of Chiang Mai Curry and the coriander. You get a smooth orange soup with a browned wedge, a dusting of red-brown spice and green leaves on top, and the first spoonful already has a bit of crust in it.
How much Chiang Mai Curry per kg of pumpkin
Use 2 level teaspoons of Chiang Mai Curry for the rub on every 1 kg of pumpkin, then about ½ teaspoon spread over the bowls at the end. For 1.5 kg of pumpkin, rub in 3 teaspoons. Mix the spice with the oil first and rub it on, so it clings to the cut sides and does not dust off the tray.
The bird's eye chilies in the blend give a heat that builds spoon by spoon, so this amount gives a warm soup rather than a fiery one. If you like more heat, add to the finishing pinch, not to the rub. The spice on the pumpkin gives depth, and the pinch on top gives the sharp, fresh smell.
You are cooking with a blend of ten ingredients that Chloë and Dax have already balanced, so you do not need to open five other jars. One jar, two moments, and the oven does the rest. Add Chiang Mai Curry to your basket, then roast a tray of pumpkin tonight.
FAQ
Can you roast pumpkin soup in the oven?
You roast the pumpkin, then turn it into soup. The oven browns the cut edges, which gives you a deeper, sweeter flavour than boiling the pieces in stock. Once the wedges are soft and dark at the edges, a stick blender and hot stock finish the job in the pot.
How do you know the pumpkin is roasted enough?
Look at the edges first: they should be deep golden brown with a few darker spots, not pale. Then push a knife into the thickest part of a wedge. If it goes in with no resistance, it is ready to blend.
How do you make pumpkin soup spicier?
Add more of the finishing pinch of Chiang Mai Curry over each bowl, a little at a time. You can also scatter a few Bird's Eye Chili Flakes on top. Keep the rub on the pumpkin as written, so the soup stays balanced.
Can you make roasted pumpkin soup without coconut milk?
Yes, this recipe has no coconut milk at all. The roasted pumpkin and onion blend into a soup that is smooth and full-bodied on its own, and a spoon of crème fraîche on top adds creaminess if you want it. For a creamy coconut version, try our pumpkin soup with sweet potato and Thai Red Curry.
Can you make it ahead?
Yes. Cool the soup, cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat it gently until steaming, loosen it with a splash of stock if needed, and keep the finishing pinch of Chiang Mai Curry for the bowl, so it still smells fresh when you serve it.
