Pumpkin Rice Laksa Soup Recipes

LAKSA

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper (we used white pepper, but you can also use black pepper), and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• While the chicken is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large saucepan or medium pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the minced lemongrass and chilies, and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the laksa paste and brown sugar. Fry for another 3 minutes, letting all the flavors meld together. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the soy puffs, cover, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, rinse the noodles in warm water (for cooked hokkien noodles or rice vermicelli) or prepare according to package instructions (for fresh or dried wheat noodles). Distribute among four large noodle soup bowls.
• Shred the cooked chicken and skin and distribute among the bowls. Pour any juices from the roasting pan into the broth. (You can even use a little bit of warm water to scrape any lingering tasty bits off the parchment paper).
• Season the broth with lime juice and more fish sauce to taste, until your broth has reached your desired levels of saltiness/sourness. If you would rather not use fish sauce as your salting agent (it can be quite pungent to some palates), season with salt instead.
• Meanwhile, toss the thinly sliced shallots in flour until they're lightly coated. In a cast iron pan, heat an additional 2 tablespoons oil. Fry the shallots until crispy and set aside.
• Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and sear them in the same oil you used to cook the shallots, just until they're cooked through.
• To assemble the laksa, pour the broth over the noodles and chicken, and add a couple pieces of soy puff to each. Top with the cooked shrimp, bean sprouts, cilantro, and fried shallots. Serve with extra lime wedges, and enjoy!

PUMPKIN AND RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to package directions; fluff and set aside.
• Meanwhile, pulse the tomato paste, vinegar, raisins, curry powder, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup of the peanuts and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor until a coarse paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to separate and the paste is brick red, 6 to 8 minutes. (Add a tablespoons or two of water if the paste sticks to the bottom of the pan at all.) Add the chicken broth, pumpkin puree and 2 cups water and whisk until blended. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and continue simmering until the soup has thickened slightly, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in about three-quarters of the cooked rice and adjust the seasoning with salt.
• Serve the soup topped equally with the remaining rice and 1/4 cup peanuts. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and the chives.

FROM THE PANTRY: CURRIED PUMPKIN AND WILD RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice, and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Strain and let cool.
• Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons of the raisins and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature until ready to serve.
• Pulse 1/4 cup of the nuts, the remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 tablespoons raisins, 2 tablespoons water, tomato paste, curry powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor until a coarse paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the coarse paste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to separate and the paste is brick red, 6 to 8 minutes. Add splashes of water if the paste sticks to the bottom of the pan at all. Add the chicken broth, pumpkin puree and 1 cup water, and whisk until blended. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and continue simmering until the soup has reduced and is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt, and stir in about 3/4 of the cooked wild rice.
• Divide the hot soup among 4 soup bowls. Top each with some of the remaining rice and 1/4 cup cashews, vinegar-soaked raisins and pepper flakes.

EASY PUMPKIN LAKSA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil ( not too much) and gently heat the curry paste.
• Add cooked chicken.
• Add pumpkin soup, coconut milk and chicken stock.
• Gently heat through until simmering.
• Plate the soup and just before serving, sprinkle over some spring onions and coriander into each bowl.