Name: Spiced pumpkin soup with onion bhajis and curry leaves
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 30 gm ghee or vegetable oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 long green chilli, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve; 1 tbsp finely grated ginger; 1½ tsp ground turmeric; 1½ tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp chilli powder; 1.2 kg Jap or butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, coarsely chopped; 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock (4 cups); Thick plain yoghurt, coriander leaves and lime wedges, to serve; Onion bhajis; 130 gm chickpea flour (also called besan) (1 cup); 80 gm thick plain yoghurt; ½ onion, thinly sliced; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 12 fresh curry leaves, plus 1 extra sprig to serve; 2 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander; 2 tsp finely grated ginger; ½ tsp each brown mustard seeds and cumin seeds; ½ tsp each ground turmeric, ground chilli powder and garam masala; Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

Spiced pumpkin soup with onion bhajis and curry leaves

Spiced pumpkin soup with onion bhajis and curry leaves recipe - Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic and chilli and sauté until onion is translucent (4-5 minutes).

Serves 4

Prep

25M

Cook

30M

Total

55M

Does the world need another pumpkin soup recipe? If it’s as full of spice and flavour as this one, our answer is yes. Make it a meal with crisp onion fritters.

Ingredients

30 gm ghee or vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 long green chilli, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

1½ tsp ground turmeric

1½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp chilli powder

1.2 kg Jap or butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, coarsely chopped

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock (4 cups)

Thick plain yoghurt, coriander leaves and lime wedges, to serve

Onion bhajis

130 gm chickpea flour (also called besan) (1 cup)

80 gm thick plain yoghurt

½ onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

12 fresh curry leaves, plus 1 extra sprig to serve

2 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander

2 tsp finely grated ginger

½ tsp each brown mustard seeds and cumin seeds

½ tsp each ground turmeric, ground chilli powder and garam masala

Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

Method

Main

1.Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic and chilli and sauté until onion is translucent (4-5 minutes). Stir in ginger and spices until fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute). Add pumpkin and stock, bring to a simmer and cook until pumpkin is very tender (20-25 minutes). Blend with a hand-held blender (or in batches in a food processor) until smooth. Season to taste.

2.For onion bhajis, stir flour, yoghurt and 100ml water in a bowl to a smooth batter, then stir in remaining ingredients and season to taste. Heat 3cm oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spoonfuls of onion mixture and fry, turning occasionally, until golden (2-3 minutes). Drain on paper towels and season to taste. Add extra curry leaves to the oil and fry until crisp, then drain on paper towels.

3.Ladle soup into bowls, top with a little yoghurt, curry leaves, extra green chilli and coriander and serve with onion bhajis and lime wedges.