Pumpkin Soup
This hearty pumpkin soup is a great way to keep you warm in the cold season. Make it as a starter before your meal or as a light dinner when you’re looking for some comfort food. Thick, creamy, with a lovely silky texture, this pumpkin soup recipe is bursting with flavors! Top it off with the toasted Arabic bread for some crunch and a tangy kick of citrus fruitiness.
Serving size: 4
Directions
Preheat the oven to 210 °C / 425 °F
Slice the pumpkin in half and save the other half in the freezer for later use by wrapping it in clingfilm. If you’re using the pumpkin half with the seeds, scoop out the seeds. Slice each piece in half to make 4 pieces.
Peel the carrot and sweet potato. Slice the carrot into small circles. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and once again in the middle to make 4 pieces. Peel 5 garlic cloves and keep them whole. Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and sweet pepper. Mix well to combine.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, grate the ginger, and crush the garlic clove and set aside.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper and add the pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, and garlic to the pan. Roast the vegetables for 30-35 minutes, flipping them midway*. Once tender, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once the pumpkin cools off, peel the skin off and discard it.
To a large pot on high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion with salt and pepper to taste. Stir frequently till the onions turn pink in color. Add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant (around 2 minutes).
Add the pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, and garlic.
Add the spices (turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet pepper, thyme, and rosemary.
Using a potato masher, crush the vegetables.
Mix the vegetable bouillon cubes with hot water till they dissolve and add them to the pot.**
Bring the pot to a boil and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool off.
Either use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot or use an electric blender to blend the soup in batches to the desired consistency.
Place the soup back in the same pot and stir in coconut milk and sweetener.
Slice the Arabic bread into small cubes. To a non-stick pan on high heat, add the bread with olive oil, sumac, thyme, and salt and stir frequently. Lower the heat to medium once they start to brown a little and keep stirring till they become crunchy.
Serve the soup in a bowl, add some cream and toasted Arabic bread and enjoy!
Ingredients
Roasted Veggies
3 tbsp olive oil
Half a pumpkin (around 1 - 1 ½ kg in size)
1 large sized carrot (around 100 g)
1 medium sized sweet potato (around 400-500 g)
5 garlic cloves
salt, pepper, and sweet pepper to taste (around a tbsp of each)
Soup Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and pepper to taste (around a tsp of each)
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp sweet pepper
Pinch of cayenne
¼ tsp thyme
¼ rsp rosemary
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
4 cups hot water
½ cup coconut milk / vegetable cream / heavy cream
1 tbsp maple syrup / honey / agave
Toasted Arabic Bread
1 piece of Arabic bread (both sides)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sumac
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp salt
Recipe Notes
*This may take either a longer or a shorter period of time, depending on your oven. Make sure to remove the carrots and sweet potatoes before the pumpkin since they will tenderize earlier. Test the tenderness of the vegetables by poking with a fork (should be able to pierce right through).
**For a creamier consistency, add more water.
