Curried Pumpkin Soup

This is one of those foods that has become a comfort food for me in recent years. There's just something about soup, isn't there? Whether I am feeling sick, lonely or just a little blue, soup seems to cure what ails me. Add the creamy smooth texture of this, and the warming, just slightly spicy curry, and this is the perfect thing to make me feel like all is right in the world...at least, for a few minutes.

I first had curried pumpkin soup at the home of a friend, and I fell in love with it, but, alas, it was made with dairy ingredients, so I put aside thoughts of steaming delicious bowls of pumpkin soup for a time. At least, I tried to... I really, really wanted more, but I didn't want the allergy symptoms that would go along with it. So, I did a lot of searching and cross-referencing recipes I found on the internet, made substitutions and, eventually, worked out a vegan version that I think is pretty darned tasty. Shane and the older girls love it, too, but Kaia thinks we are a little crazy for wanting anything pumpkin-flavoured that isn't sweet.

Here is the recipe I have come up with:


Curried Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons margarine or vegetable oil
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons curry powder
* 4 cups vegetable broth (I use a "chicken" style broth for this recipe)
* 1 large can pumpkin (or two smaller ones ~ total of about 28-30 ozs, I think)
* 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (about a regular-sized can) + 1 cup water
* 2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
* salt and pepper to taste
* hot sauce

Directions

Place margarine or oil in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and curry powder. Cook, stirring for a minute or two. Gradually add 1 cup of your vegetable broth and cook, stirring, until mixture starts to bubble. Whisk in the rest of the broth, a little at a time, and cook until it starts to thicken. With a spoon, stir in pumpkin, coconut milk and water. Season with soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Taste, and adjust seasonings. If desired, add a dash of hot sauce (or put the hot sauce on the table and let people add it to their bowls). It is now ready to serve, and can be removed from the heat, but you can keep it warming on the stove a little longer if you like.

Sometimes, I make it in the crockpot and leave it on low for a few hours. The method is pretty much the same for the crockpot, but you might not need quite as much water. You could also make it in a pot, then transfer it to a crockpot to keep warm, if, like us, you have folks coming home at different times and you want them to have a nice, hot bowl of soup when they arrive.