Five Spice Pumpkin Soup Recipes

FALL 5-SPICE SOUP

Steps:

• Pour vegetable broth into a pot and bring to a boil.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and celery in hot oil until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add Chinese 5-spice powder to onion mixture, stir to coat, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Mix sweet potatoes, apples, salt, and onion mixture into broth; cook until sweet potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool soup for at least 5 minutes.
• Pour soup into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth.

SPICY PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon (see tip below). Cut into wedges or chunks (keep the skin on) and tip into a bowl. Put the garam masala, and 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin into a small bowl and mix with 2 tbsp of the oil and season. Drizzle over the pumpkin and toss well to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a baking tray, spread out evenly and roast for 40-45 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until the pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and remaining spices and chilli flakes, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
• When the pumpkin is cool enough to touch, use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh from the skins. Add the soft pumpkin to the stock pan, discarding the skins. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until creamy and smooth. Season to taste, adding extra chilli or garam masala if you like. Put back over a low heat and stir in the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, then serve in bowls with a drizzle more cream and a pinch of chilli to serve. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, if you like.