Serves –  8 – 10 cups 

Total time – 1 hour 30 mins (including preparation – 15mins, rest time – 20/30mins) 

Ingredients

Pumpkin                           1 Kg

Potatoes                            2 Big potatoes/ 3 small potatoes

Carrot                                1 medium

Onions                               2

Garlic                                 4-5 Cloves

Dried Red Chillies       2

Olive Oil                           2 tbsp 

Stock (chicken/veg)    4 cups/ 1 litre

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings roasted/fried garlic,  roasted/fried ginger, roasted pumpkin seeds 

Method

1. Prepare all the vegetables – Simply smash the garlic cloves, to release the flavours and peel the veggies and chop roughly (the smaller you chop the faster they’ll cook)
2. Prepare your stock –
   – Boil 4 cups of water and add two stock cubes. Keep aside, OR
   – Use your homemade basic stock (recipe attached) 
3. In a big pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. 
4. Once hot, add the garlic and onion and break the red chillies into the pan. Stir in between so it does not stick to the pan. 
5. Once the onion starts to turn translucent, add the rest of the veggies and let them cook for 5mins.
6. Add in the stock,  bring it to a boil and cover the pot and let it simmer for around 25-30mins. 
7. Once the time has lapsed, poke the veggies with a fork –  if they easily break apart, remove the pot from the heat. Let it cool for around 20-30 minutes before blending. (If you blend the soup while it’s still hot, there are chances of the lid popping off and you splashing your walls with some delicious pumpkin soup. 😉 )
8. Once cool, blend the soup in a mixer or with your hand blender. 
9. Bring the soup back to a boil. Add some salt, pepper and chilli flakes to taste.
10. Serve in big bowls or cups and top with the topping of your choice – I like to add roasted garlic and roasted pumpkin seeds. 
11. The leftover soup will last you 4-5 days in the fridge.