This was a recipe I tried out for Carroll Cafe. And it was awesome. It’s incredibly easy to make, and yet is packed with flavor. This is a bit spicy, but I found the heat to be really warming, perfect for a cold winter day. This is also a great recipe to keep the ingredients on hand and can be made completely with shelf-stable ingredients. It’s always nice to have a couple of recipes to turn to when there’s nothing in the fridge.
While I served this with cilantro, peanuts, and lime at Carroll Cafe, I think it would also be great with some shredded chicken, or chopped cabbage, mushrooms, and baby corn (basically the usual ingredients found in my favorite Thai soup – Tom Kha Gai).
The red curry paste can be found in the international section of a large grocery store, but I found it at the local Asian grocery store for about 1/4 of the price. This is the brand I used, and really enjoyed. The picture has a drizzle of coconut cream on top, if you don’t shake your cans of coconut milk, you can easily scrape off a dollop of coconut cream.
Thai Pumpkin Coconut Soup
Serves 10-15
Adapted from Closet Cooking
- 5 Tbsp red curry paste
- 3 (15oz) cans pumpkin puree
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 (14oz) cans coconut milk, shake first
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (or fish sauce if you’re not serving vegetarians)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- lime wedges, chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts – to garnish
In a large pot, heat red curry paste over medium high heat for a couple of minutes. Then add the pumpkin and mix well. Pour in the vegetable broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. If desired, add in shredded chicken or vegetables (like cabbage, canned mushrooms, or baby corn) during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Garnish with limes, cilantro, and/or chopped peanuts.
