JUST SOUPER
One of the best ways to warm up during the cooler months is to get stuck into a hearty, steaming bowl of soup. My mum makes a cracking pumpkin soup. But last time I tasted it, she’d fiddled with the recipe. “What have you done to it?” I asked. “I just put a bit of curry powder in it,” she replied. I wasn’t a fan of the added curry. I prefer my pumpkin soup plain and simple. But it reminded me of the many variations of pumpkin soup doing the rounds.
One such popular twist is Thai pumpkin soup, and one of the simplest recipes around comes from Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham, the ladies behind the top-selling
4 Ingredients cookbooks.
Make up a double batch of this and take some to work – The whole office will be jealous!
THAI PUMPKIN SOUP
1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled
and cut into 1.5 cm pieces
2 tablespoons red curry paste
270ml can coconut cream
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pumpkin and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for one to two minutes or until mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add coconut cream. Cook, stirring, for a minute. Add two cups of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes (or until pumpkin has softened). Set aside for five minutes.
Blend soup in batches until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Top with coriander and serve.
Do you have a favourite twist on pumpkin soup? I’d love to hear the recipe.
KEEPING IT SIMPLE
If you love the idea of homemade soup but just don’t have the time or motivation to make it, the Kambrook Soup Simple might be a good investment. It creates delicious soups in less than half an hour. Just pop the ingredients in, set to chunky or smooth and the soup maker will do the rest. It retails for just under $100.
