Ingredients

Winter Squash Curry Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5kg pumpkin or your choice of squash (butternut squash works brilliantly), peeled deseeded and diced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 4 cloves, ground
• 4 cardamom pods
• 4 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 5 cm ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
• 1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock or water
• maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

• Naan bread
• coriander leaves
• double cream or cream fraiche
• pumpkin or large squash shell to serve soup (optional)

Method

1. Soup: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a moderate-high heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic and ginger, along with all the dry spices and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the fresh coriander and pumpkin to the pan and cook the mixture while stirring for a couple of minutes. Add the curry leaves and stock or water to the pan and bring it slowly to a boil. Skim off any scum that may come to the top and reduce the soup to a simmer and leave it to cook gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring it at regular intervals. The soup is ready when the pumpkin is cooked and tender. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the bay leaf and allow it to cool slightly.
2. Remove the curry leaves and cardamom pods. Ladle some of the soup into a food processor or blender (be careful not to overfill it or you will end up with a large mess). Puree the soup until smooth and return it to clean saucepan. Repeat this until you have pureed all the soup. The soup should be a thick pourable consistency if it is too thick add more stock or water.
3. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and reheat before serving it or place it in a covered container and refrigerator until ready to reheat and serve.
4. To Serve: Ladle the soup into soup bowls or in a pumpkin shell and garnish the soup with coriander leaves and a drizzle of cream. Accompany the soup with warm naan bread or bread of your choice.