At about this time of year, I see my American friends on-line going mad for pumpkin spice. According to Wikipedia, pumpkin spice is similar to what we might know as mixed spice.
Pumpkin spice usually contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
What I find odd is that pumpkin spice is used to flavour all sorts of things from coffee to pumpkin pies.
Tonight, I’m making a pumpkin soup, but it won’t be pumpkin spice as my American friends might know it. Instead, this will be a pumpkin soup with a spicy Asian influence using ginger, coriander, and a curry paste. Rather than using dairy cream, I’ll also use coconut cream.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
Matthew 4:4 NIV
Equipment
- Heat source
- Saucepan
- Stick blender
Ingredients
- Bacon
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Laksa paste
- Cooking sherry
- Butternut pumpkin
- Vegetable stock
- Coconut cream
- Lime juice
- Coriander leaves, stems, and roots
- Red onion
- Olive pane di casa
- Butter
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Slice the streaky bacon.
- Peel and dice the pumpkin.
- Grate the ginger.
- Grate the garlic.
- Chop the coriander leaves, stems, and roots.
- Finely chop the red onion.
- In a cold saucepan slowly heat up the sliced bacon until the fat renders.
- Add in the grated ginger and garlic and cook until soft.
- Pour in a little cooking sherry to deglase the bottom of the saucepan.
- Add in the diced pumpkin and laksa paste. Cover with vegetable stock.
- Bring the vegetable stock to the boil and gently simmer until the pumpkin is soft.
- Turn the heat off and blend the soup with a stick blender until it’s smooth.
- Turn the heat back on and coconut cream to the soup to make it silky smooth.
- Taste the soup and add some lime juice to enhance the sourness.
- Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with the chopped coriander.
- Serve with buttered toast that has had cinnamon sprinkled on it.
Questions
Are you into the pumpkin spice thing?
I think I’ve only ever had pumpkin spice in a pumpkin pie which I tried when I was a young fella. A lady at a church I used to attend made one, and it tasted good.
I’m not sure that I would be adding pumpkin spice to my coffee though. That said, I can appreciate how some ginger might go well in a frothy milk drink with some cinnamon and nutmeg.
What’s with the bread with an Asian soup?
Well, as per the quote, you can’t live on bread alone. 🤣😉
Why not have a little Italian bread with my Asian soup?
Final thoughts
- Do you like pumpkin spice?
- Do you like spicy pumpkin soup?
- Have you ever had bread with an Asian flavoured soup?
Looks yummy!
Thanks, Kally. Much appreciated.
I haven’t tried pumpkin spice. To be honest I don’t think I’d go crazy over it. Your pumpkin spice soup looks heavenly with a great bright orange colour. Good to hear you like coriander. I can’t understand why some people hate it – I guess it’s one of those ingredients you either hate or don’t like.
Not a huge fan of Asian soups really… In general I am not really a soup person. I defintely love bread, especially sourdough bread 😄
Thanks, Mabel. I think the coriander thing is a genetic trait with a weird expression. Mum thinks coriander tastes like soap. I love laksa soups, but I am messy and need to avoid wearing a white shirt.
I feel coriander goes wells with almost anything 😀
It does
not a fan of pumpkin soup at all but i like the sound of the asian influence. pumpkin needs all the help it can get!!
Thank you very much, Sherry 😊
This looks delicious and I’ll be making it! I love anything pumpkin-related. I had pumpkin pie when I was in America years ago and loved it. I assume it had pumpkin spice in it. I do enjoy bread (and butter) with soup with Asian flavours, yum!
Thank you very much, Alex. It was also very good later in the week as flavours concentrated.
I love mixed spice, and spiced pumpkin soup, though I would probably nix the bacon and sherry and add a bit of fish sauce 🙂 And yes to bread – why not! Did you ever have gramma pie when you were younger? An Aussie classic pumpkin pie alternative!
Thanks, Beck. Yep, I remember the gramma pie. I don’t know that I can ever nix the streaky bacon 🤣
I will definitely have to try that soup for fall–it looks perfect! I’ve only used pumpkin spice in pumpkin pies, but yes, here in the States, people go absolutely crazy for pumpkin spice–or they don’t. It’s a very polarizing issue for some reason. Cheers!
I hope you like the soup when you try it.
This will be delightful. Yes to bread with Asian flavoured soups. Pumpkin spice is overrated and so American …. Yes to curried soup of any variety but especially pumpkin soup.
Thanks, Merryn. I have leftover soup for later this week, so I’m happy 😊
That soup looks stellar Gary! Love coconut cream and milk in soups. I love chai lattes so pumpkin spice would definitely suit me.
Thanks, Lorraine. It was a lovely soup for a Saturday night.
This sounds like a fabulous soup. I love the Asian elements and the coconut milk. Great photos!
Thank you very much 😊
I like the individual components of pumpkin spice, but maybe not all together? Pumpkin soup (or any squash) is awesome. Yours is such a vibrant colour. I haven’t eaten bread with it, but that Italian stuff looks terribly tempting.
Thanks, Emma. It was a really nice soup and it didn’t really need the bread but I couldn’t resist. I’ve got enough leftover for another meal during the week. I might team it up with some pork belly.