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?
