Years ago I never would have thought that I would be eating pumpkin this way today and loving it.

Pumpkin was something that I grew to love in different ways: Pumpkin choka with Sada Roti, roasted with vegetables, and many other dishes.

In this roasted pumpkin soup you will savor the natural sweetness of the pumpkin that’s coaxed out by the roasting and gently enhanced by spices.

And, as with all my recipes, this roasted pumpkin soup is Vegan.  Try my Roasted Pumpkin Soup recipe, you’ll love it!

How to roast the Pumpkin?  See below

ROASTING THE PUMPKIN

Ingredients:

1 cut of pumpkin about 1 kg in weight (seeded).  For ease of roasting, you’ll want to look for a square or rectangular shaped cut.

¼ teaspoon salt

METHOD:

– Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

– Line a baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray

– Sprinkle the open face side of the pumpkin with salt and lay face down (skin side up) on the greased foil in the baking pan

– Roast for 1 hour

– Carefully remove from oven and make several pricks on the exposed skin side with a fork

– Put back in the oven and continue to cook for 1 more hour

– Carefully remove from the oven and set aside to cool.  You will be using all of the roasted pumpkin (except the skin) for the soup.

MAKING THE ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients

– Roasted pumpkin pulp (see recipe above – yields roughly about 2 and ¼ cups)

– 1 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

– 250ml cream alternative

– 2 medium onions (roughly chopped)

– 1 carrot (roughly chopped)

– 1 medium sweet potato (peeled and chopped)

– ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds or Mathee (these can be bitter so use sparingly)

– 1 dried Bay leaf

– Water in the following quantities:
– 2 Tablespoons water

– 2 cups water

– 1 cup water

METHOD:

– In a pot, sauté 2 medium onions (roughly chopped), 1 medium carrot (roughly chopped) and 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (a.k.a mathee seeds) in 2 Tablespoons water stirring occasionally.

– When all the liquid has evaporated, add 2 cups water, 1 cup sweet potato (chopped) and 1 dried Bay leaf

– Cover and cook for 15 minutes

– Next, carefully scoop out pumpkin and add to soup mixture along with 1 cup of water.  It’s okay to add some of the pumpkin that has charred (not burnt) edges as these add great flavour to the soup.  Stir well.

– Let cook for 5 minutes

– Next, add 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, and 250ml of cream alternative. Give a quick stir, cover and let simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.

– Take off heat

– Carefully remove bay leaf and add soup mixture to blender or food processor. CAUTION: Contents would be hot. Use care.

– Puree until smooth

– Carefully empty contents into serving dish

– Serve and enjoy