curried pumpkin & wild rice soup

 

My husband cleaned out the pantry in an effort to make room for our waffle iron a few days ago; and while he was moving things around he noticed that I had extra cans of pumpkin.

Well, by the time he finished organizing a few of the selves, he brought me 10 cans of pumpkin.

TEN cans! Really? . . . Ten?

I remember buying more than usual last Fall, out of fear that I wouldn't be able to find any by Thanksgiving. (Yes, that actually happened to me a few years ago!)

Apparently, I bought a few too many . . . and so inspired this curried pumpkin soup.

It's soup season, so I turned to my personal cookbook and found one of my favorite curried soup recipes.  

It's so easy to prepare . . . and flavorful, too!

  

The homemade 'curry paste' and canned pumpkin make up the base of this warm spiced and tender sweet velvety soup . . . and the simple additions (like rice, peanuts, and chicken or medium-boiled eggs) add to its heartiness. 

Although this recipe calls for wild rice, I had black rice on hand - so that's what I used. I love it's hearty, chewy texture in soups and stews.

You can also add shredded chicken, but I prefer adding sliced medium-boiled eggs.  It might sound strange, but it's delicious!

Our Indian friends make a version of this soup with hard-boiled eggs, and we love it. 

So if you have an extra can, or two, of pumpkin sitting in your cupboard . . . consider making curried pumpkin soup for your family.  It's a delicious way to keep warm!

'Tis the season for soup!

curried pumpkin & wild rice soup

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

1/2 cup wild rice blend

1 Tablespoon golden or dark raisins

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup roasted cashews, almonds or peanuts, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish

Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

fresh cilantro, chopped

4 medium-boiled eggs (optional)

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Preparation

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice, and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Pulse 1/4 cup of the nuts, 3 Tablespoons vinegar, 1 Tablespoon 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, pepper flakes, fresh cilantro, and quartered medium-boiled eggs (*optional).

How to make medium boiled eggs . . .

Put the eggs in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1 inch. Set the pan over medium-high heat and as soon as the water reaches a brisk simmer, start timing. As the eggs cook, adjust the heat as needed to maintain a brisk simmer. (Though we talk about boiling eggs,  the fact is that cooking eggs in boiling water cracks the shell and makes the eggs tough and rubbery. A brisk simmer works much better.)

For medium boiled . . . briskly simmer eggs for 4-1/2 minutes. The yolk will be solid but still dark orange-yellow, moist, and dense in the middle. Beautiful and delicious quartered on a salad or in soup.

Come by for another great recipe using canned pumpkin, here. 

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