Spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Sour Cream, Crunchy Croutons and Chilli Oil
This spiced pumpkin soup recipe is a combo of the kind of old-fashioned Australian creamy pumpkin soups my Nanna used to make and a Cambodian spiced pumpkin soup of Khmer Royal Cuisine. Rich, comforting and creamy, despite there being no cream, it’s a perfect cold weather soup that can be served as an elegant appetiser or in big bowls for a cosy casual meal.
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 558kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 600 g pumpkin sliced into small wedges, skin-on
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 500 ml chicken stock – or vegetable stock or vegetable stock
- 1 small knob ginger fresh, peeled and minced
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp chilli oil
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp croutons pounded into crumbs
- 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots optional
Garnish
- 2 tbsp basil leaves or coriander (cilantro) sprigs
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 200°C (390°F) and while it’s warming up, in a small bowl stir the Chinese five-spice powder, ground cumin, chilli powder and salt into 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined.
- Lay the pumpkin wedges out evenly onto a baking tray and use a pastry brush to spread the spice oil onto all sides of each piece of pumpkin. Bake for 20 minutes, slide the tray out of the oven, turn all the pieces over and bake for another 20 minutes, by which time they should be soft and spices should be permeating your kitchen.
- While the spiced pumpkin is baking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan until the oil is shimmering, then add the onions and fry until soft and translucent, add the minced garlic and ginger and fry for another minute, then transfer all to a soup pot.
- Pour in the chicken stock, or vegetable stock if you prefer, and add the carrot slices, then bring to a simmer and leave to simmer until the pumpkin is finished.
- By the time the pumpkin is done and is soft, the carrot should also be tender and the stock reduced. Turn off the heat and remove the tray of baked pumpkin, and set all aside to cool a little.
- Slice off the pumpkin skins and transfer both the pumpkin pieces and carrot and onion in stock to a blender, and pulse for a few minutes until thick and creamy.
- Return the spiced pumpkin soup to the pot, reheat, season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust to your palate. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add more stock, cream or milk, stir in and reheat.
- When your spiced pumpkin soup is ready, ladle the soup into bowls, add a dollop of sour cream to each, drizzle on the chilli oil, sprinkle on the crouton crumbs and chilli flakes, and garnish with fresh basil leaves or coriander sprigs, and serve immediately with crusty sourdough bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 1708mg | Potassium: 1584mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 32206IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 5mg