We love soup, especially pumpkin and it’s a great way to get extra vitamin A into your diet to help aid your immunity this winter. For more on vitamins that support our immune system, read our blog here. To incorporate more pumpkin into your meals, try our delicious Indian Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Chickpeas & Garlic Pita.
How to cut and peel pumpkin safely and easily: Raw pumpkin can be tricky to cut. To make it easier on yourself, prick your pumpkin a handful of times with the tip of a sharp knife, then microwave for a few minutes to soften it, then you can easily slice off the skin. Or you can soften it in the oven at 200°C for 15-20 minutes before slicing off the skin. Watch the video below to see how Nadia does it.
Indian Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Chickpeas & Garlic Pita
Ingredients
Soup
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 leek, cut in half lengthways & thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, diced 2cm
- 1 piece cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 drizzle of oil
- 800g diced pumpkin
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 cups water
Indian spice mix
- 3 tsp curry powder, mild
- ⅓ tsp ground turmeric
- ⅔ tsp garam masala
- ⅔ tsp ground cumin
- 2⅓ tsp celery salt
- 1½ Tbsp vegetable stock powder
Chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1 Tbsp curry paste (store-bought or see recipe below)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 drizzle of oil
Yoghurt
- 4 Tbsp natural, unsweetened yogurt
- 2 tsp curry paste (store-bought or see recipe below)
To serve
- 1 pack garlic pita breads
- ½ bunch coriander
Instructions
- Before you start. Preheat oven to 220°C (or 200°C fan bake).
- Prep veggies. Prep garlic, leek, carrot and cauliflower.
- Cook soup. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add garlic and leek and cook for about 3 minutes, until tender. Add carrots, cauliflower and pumpkin to pot and cook for 5 minutes, until just starting to colour. Add Indian spice mix ingredients and salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant. Add water measure to pot, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes, until veggies are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook korma chickpeas. Pat chickpeas dry and toss on a lined oven tray with the first measure of korma paste, salt and oil. Roast for about 15 minutes, until golden.
- Cook pita. Place garlic pita onto a lined oven tray and bake, on rack below chickpeas, for about 5 minutes, until golden. Alternatively, toast in a toaster.
- Prep yoghurt. Combine second measure of korma paste and yoghurt in a small bowl and set aside.
- To finish. Remove soup from heat and leave to cool slightly before blending with a stick blender or food processor, until smooth. Alternatively, mash with a potato masher. Add a little water or stock if needed and season to taste with salt and pepper. Prep coriander.
- Serve. Soup topped with chickpeas, a dollop of yoghurt and coriander. Serve garlic pita on the side.
Notes
Curry Paste:
Mix together 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, ½-1 teaspoon ground chilli, 1 teaspoon finely minced/grated ginger, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt. Makes ½ cup. Store covered in the fridge for up to one week, or freeze.
