An autumnal Thai red curry and pumpkin soup

Enjoy this warming soup, perfect for a starter or a lunch when it isn't quite as warm outside.

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Ingredients

• One large onion, peeled and chopped
• Two medium carrots, peeled and diced
• ½ medium leek chopped
• Two garlic cloves (if you can get wet garlic from the market, even better. The typical season is spring but I found a little grower in Ireland who grows them in the autumn and they are very good)
• 2 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 bay leaves
• 30 grams dried red lentil (optional)
• 2 to 3 teaspoon of red curry paste
• 850 grams to 1 kg of prepared Pumpkin, or butternut squash, or potimarron (small pumpkin with much better flavour and no need to peel, only remove the seeds, like butternut squash)
• 1 litre of chicken stock or vegetable stock, you may need a little bit more depending on the consistency you like to eat your soup
• 150ml of coconut cream

Method

1. Heat a large pot with olive oil or coconut oil, then add onion, leek, garlic, carrot, and pumpkin, and sweat very slowly, over a low heat with a lid, for about 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
2. Add the Thai curry paste and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add the stock and the bay leaf, bring it to the boil, then reduce to medium heat and let it simmer for about 40 minutes.
4. The soup is ready when all the vegetables are soft.
5. Remove the bay leaf, add the coconut cream, add little salt and pepper to your liking.
6. Blend the soup until a smooth consistency.
7. For a little crunch, you can add some roasted pumpkin seed on the top of your soup when you serve it. Just roast the pumpkin seeds slowly in a pan with coconut oil until toasted.