Spicy pumpkin carrot soup

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften.

Step 2

Then add garlic, turmeric, curry powder, chili flakes, and stir for about 1 minute.

Step 3

Add pumpkin, carrots, salt, pepper, and give a good stir.

Step 4

Add broth, coconut milk, and bring to the boil.

Step 5

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the carrot and the pumpkin are cooked through and soft. Stir occasionally.

Step 6

Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer the contents to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line and be careful with the hot soup!) and purée the mixture until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender.

Step 7

Stir the lemon juice into the blended soup (optional), then taste and season with additional salt if necessary (I use low salt vegetable broth + ½ tsp of salt + ⅛ tsp of black pepper).

Step 8

Ladle soup into individual bowls. Top the soup with toasted pumpkin seeds, crusty bread or croutons, and extra chili flakes if you like.