Curried Lentil and Pumpkin Soup

Another experiment using pumpkins and I must say, I’m really enjoying cooking with this vegetable. My trial in making curried lentil and pumpkin soup did just the trick to warm me up after an energetic mid-morning run. As the air becomes chillier, I’m turning away from salads and cold foods, to more warming meals. This soup is my seasonal take on the traditional North Indian Tarka Dhal.

Red lentils are so easy to cook with, they’re filling and full of goodness, as is this soup. It contains no cream and no butter and is made with ginger, turmeric and coriander. The soup has so much flavour to it, not to mention the heat from the chilli I added, but you can choose to leave it out if you prefer.

I’ve now made both a savoury and sweet dish using pumpkins and both turned out delightful. I hope you enjoy tucking into this one.

Curried Lentil and Pumpkin Soup

Spicella Recipes

A seasonal take on Tarka Dhal, this Lentil and Pumpkin Soup is full of flavour and packs some heat.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Fusion Indian

Servings 2

Equipment

• Hand Blender
• Small Frying Pan (sizzling of spices)
• Saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 100 g Red Lentils
• 70 g Pumpkin (peeled and chopped)
• 5 g Ginger (peeled)
• 10 g Coriander
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 3 Shallots or 1 small White onion
• 1/2 Vegetable stock cube
• 600 ml Water

For the Sizzle:

• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Red chilli (halved)

Instructions

 

• Wash the red lentils in warm water and drain. Repeat this process 3 times.
• In a saucepan, add lentils, chopped pumpkin, ginger, turmeric, chopped coriander, roughly chopped shallots or onion, vegetable stock cube and salt. Let this cook for 15 minutes on a medium heat with the lid closed,
• Once the lentils are soft and cooked, blend the ingredients to make a smooth soup.
• In a small frying pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and fry the cumin seeds and red chilli until they sizzle.
• Pour the chilli and cumin seeds into the soup and let this cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat.

Keyword Lentil Soup, Pumpkin Soup, Soup

Tips on making Curried Lentil and Pumpkin Soup

• If you prefer your soup to have some texture, consider keeping the lentils and pumpkin whole or mash, as opposed to blending into a smooth soup.
• Instead of discarding them, keep the pumpkin seeds and roast these with a little bit of salt in the oven for approx. 8-10 minutes (170C degrees fan assisted) and eat them as a snack or add it to the soup.