Mild Pumpkin Soup

Pardon my prolonged absence from the blogsphere. The season changed and I got carried away with new adventures in the fresh air and torrents of rain. I have never welcomed autumn as wholeheartedly as this year. I’m pushed to take long morning walks when it is still dark. There is a cool but soft breeze and a strong aroma of decomposing soil. It is comforting and surprisingly energizing.

There is a promise I cannot keep this time. I will introduce Kurma Dasa in the next post. The text is already written but I didn’t photograph for seven weeks, thus there are no pictures yet. Hopefully you aren’t too disappointed. He is worth waiting for, trust me. The recipes will be sweet and exciting.

Since it is a harvest time, I would like to share a pumpkin soup recipe with you. It is made with warm spices: cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

PUMPKIN SOUP

Half of a large pumpkin (about 2 liters in cubes)

Ghee/oil

Grated ginger (about 2 tbs, juice squeezed out)

Indian bay leaf

A good pinch of hing

A good pinch of black pepper or cayenne

1 short stick of cinnamon

3 cloves

3 whole green cardamoms

A pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste

Water (as much as it takes to barely cover the veggies)

Coconut milk (about 500 ml)

Ginger juice

Herbs for garnish if you like

Heat up ghee, sauté ginger and bay. (Remember to squeeze out and save the ginger juice for a later use).

Add hing, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and sauté for a short moment.

Add the pumpkin cubes, turmeric, salt and water.

Let it simmer until the pumpkin is soft.

Pick out the whole spices (bay, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom).

Mash the pumpkin with a mixer until smooth and silky.

Add coconut milk and bring it quickly to boil.

Remove from the stove and add the left over ginger juice.

Garnish with fresh herbs.