Curried Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• •2 medium onions
• •2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• •2 cloves garlic
• •1½ tablespoons fresh ginger
• •2 teaspoons ground cumin
• •1 teaspoon ground coriander
• •⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
• •1½ teaspoons salt
• •¾ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• •2 cans solid-pack pumpkin
• •4 cups water
• •1½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• •1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• •¼ cup olive oil
• •2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
• •8 leaves fresh curry leaves

Cooking Instructions

1. 1.

   Cook onions in butter in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, and cardamom and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in salt, red pepper flakes, pumpkin, water, broth, and coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl, and return soup to pot. Keep soup warm over low heat.

   40 min

2. 2.

   Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook mustard seeds until they begin to pop, about 15 seconds. Add curry leaves and cook 5 seconds, then pour mixture into pumpkin soup. Stir until combined well and season soup with salt. Soup can be thinned with additional water.

   5 min