Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Tea Girl's Note:

This is a recipe from a German cookbook that my husband made, it is supposed to be Asian-style. We made some changes to it to fit our tastes more. It is a lot of work, but it is really wonderful, warm and filling. It is important to chop everything before you start. For the pumpkin seeds at the end, I would suggest making your own with Mirj's recipe with salt and cayenne pepper: http://www.recipezaar.com/Roasted-Pumpkin-Seeds-13549 Prep time includes the chopping.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 50 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large garlic clove , minced
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 1 kg fresh pumpkin (chopped away from the skin, and cut into small pieces)
• 450 g floury potatoes (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger (peeled and very finely chopped)
• 1 -2 thai bird's eye chile , 2 makes it very hot, use only 1 if you want something more mild (de-seeded and very finely chopped)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• salt and pepper
• 100 g creme fraiche
• 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 -2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 green onions , finely chopped
• ½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat and add onions and garlic until onion is clarified.
2. Add pumpkin, potatoes, ginger, and chilis, stir and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add coriander and turmeric and stir and cook about 30 seconds.
4. Add vegetable broth, a couple dashes of salt and pepper and bring to a boil and cook on high heat for 15 minutes.
5. Remove about 100 ml (a bit more than a 1/3 of a cup) of the veggies and set aside.
6. Remove the remaining soup from the heat and puree it with a hand blender.
7. Add creme fraiche, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Return the non-pureed veggies, stir and serve topped with the roasted pumpkin seeds and green onions.