Dutch Curry & Rice Pumpkin Soup
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Serves 4
- 650g/23ozs. pumpkin (or butternut squash)
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons curry powder*
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
I use Baba's meat curry powder found at Asian grocery stores
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Place pumpkin or squash without peeling on a baking tray and add onion on the side. Drizzle oil on the onion (no need to oil the pumpkin) and roast for 30-40 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and you can easily slide a knife inside it. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough so you can remove the skin and seeds.
Step 2 - Heat a large pot on the stove on medium heat and add the curry powder and bay leaf and heat until fragrant. Add the pumpkin and onion and the oil (I just take the whole sheet of parchment and tip it into the pot) and then add the stock and bring to a boil.
Step 3 - With the rice, I rinse it just once so that you still get a bit of starch to thicken the soup. Add the uncooked rice to the soup. Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. Then remove bay leaf and blend with a stick blender.
Optional: Add cooked rice after pureeing the pumpkin and stock mixture. I like the texture from the blended up rice that gives this soup the amazing body and creamy mouthfeel that it has without adding any cream. But if you like having the rice grains whole they're also good with a blended up pumpkin soup! :)