The best ever Pumpkin and Ginger Soup Recipe
Even with a chef husband I have to cook from time to time (or all the time when he is away working). Today I started making a curry but switched after a few minutes to try a recipe from a new cookbook that I ordered. You see, my husband is from New Zealand and we have travelled a lot together over the years, questing to find the best local food everywhere we go. I stumbled across the Caravan restaurant brand in the UK - started by three Kiwi friends that had travelled and eaten a lot. The similarity struck an instant cord and I ordered their Dining All Day Cookbook.
The first recipe that jumped out at my husband, and then my mum, on separate occasions, was this pumpkin soup with pickled ginger. I love pumpkin soup, ever since I first tasted it at Rattle N Hum in Cairns, Australia. It goes a treat with ginger, so why not zest it up with some Japanese picked ginger? These Kiwis are onto something!
My recipe is a slight variation (as I started with a curry plan in mind), but still sensationally good.
The best ever Pumpkin and Ginger Soup Recipe:
1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic
2 turmeric roots, finely chopped
Fry these gently in a skillet with some coconut oil for about 3-5 minutes.
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced. (Save the seeds and toss with some tamari and place in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. Use these as a garnish later.)
Handful of fresh coriander stems, washed
1 tin coconut milk
500ml water
Add these to the skillet and cook for about 25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
Remove from the heat and stir through a teaspoon of sea salt, a teaspoon of soy sauce and 20g of picked ginger.
Blend the soup. I did this in the Vitamix and it came out really smooth.
Squeeze through some lime juice and serve topped with coriander leaves, creme fraiche or coconut cream and tamari seeds.
Let me know how you get on!
On a final note:
Here are the links for getting a copy of this fun book
Caravan Cookbook Dining All Day
And some nice foodie Instagram accounts to cherish:
@jenniferocooks - fabulous Irish food stylist
I felt great after eating this soup. I am trying to pay close attention to how and what I eat even more than ever. Instead of having a square of chocolate afterwards, I had half a mango. It was the best!
xoxo J.