Creamy pumpkin soup with basil

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin - Japanese variety Hokaido is the most suitable for this recipe
1 bay leaf
1 t.s. paprika powder
1/2 t.s. freshly grated nutmeg
1 t.s. freshly ground coriander
Cayenne pepper
Sea salt
A handful of fresh (Thai) basil
Coconut milk for a creamy texture (100 to 200 ml)

Over a medium-low heat, cook the pumpkin with the bay leaf in as little water as possible, so that you do not need to throw away any water. With a hand immersion blender finely mix the pumpkin to a creamy soup, adding the coconut milk and the rest of the ingredients. Cook it for 3 more minutes and add the coarsely chopped fresh basil at the end. Remove from the heat. Serve immediately. garnish with extra coconut milk or almond cream.

If you find Thai basil at Asian shops, feel free to use it in this recipe, as it makes it taste totally amazing. You might need much less Thai basil than you would use regular basil.

As with many recipes, it is difficult to specify exactly how much herbs, spices and salt you need. It is all up to you. Some pumpkins are so fresh and creamy and tasty that you might need very little seasonings while other pumpkins will require more spices to make it taste impressively.

The freshness and taste of the coconut milk will also be decisive to the taste, ranging from a creamy mild effect to a prominent almost soapish taste in case the coconut milk comes from a not so fresh batch - in which case you might as well leave it out or choose another creamy plant milk that you have at hand.








Enjoy !