Recipe: Spicy pumpkin soup

Photo / Thinkstock

Spicy pumpkin soup

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 small red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 900g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 400ml can coconut cream
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 12 prawn cutlets
• 1/4 cup crisp fried shallots*
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan and gently cook onion, ginger, chilli and garlic for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and cook for a further minute.

2. Add chicken stock and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until pumpkin is just tender.

3. Add coconut cream and fish sauce and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat and puree in batches until smooth. *Cook prawns in a little oil in a frying pan until they turn pink. Pour hot soup into bowls and top with crisp fried shallots, prawns and coriander leaves.

* Crisp fried shallots are available in Asian food stores or you can make your own by cooking very finely sliced shallots or onion in hot oil.