This Japanese Curry Pumpkin soup hits all the right notes - heat, creaminess and all around goodness. The recipe is suitable for many dietary styles - vegan, Paleo, gluten free, vegetarian. Everyone will love this, no doubt about it.
I've decided that Japanese curry is probably now my favourite type of curry, the diversity and combination of spices is really unmistakable. Paired with pumpkin, you really can't go wrong if you're after a warming winter dish.
This S&B curry spice blend is the spice used for different types of katsu curry - for example, breaded chicken or pork cutlets served with the curry sauce and rice. If you've never tried it, you need to go straight to your nearest Japanese restaurant, or you can always get the recipe for the traditional curry in Russ Crandall's excellent book Paleo Takeout.
Where to find Japanese curry powder
Just a note about the curry powder, it seems to be hard to track down in Australia. The best places would be Japanese supermarkets or Asian supermarkets with a large Japanese section. I have a friend bring it to me from the US - he buys it on Amazon (thanks Jeremy!!!). I've put a picture of the curry powder packaging in the photos for this post. There also seems to be an alternative design for the tin, all red, so maybe look out for that version here in Australia.
Now, if you loathe having to cut pumpkin in to pieces, you can roast the piece with the skin on after de-seeding as in this method from Donna Hay. The onions and garlic can also be roasted at the same time. The Japanese curry spices *must* be cooked though, so they can be heated with some oil and then blended with the roasted pumpkin etc.
What to serve this curry soup with
In this picture, I've served the curry soup with my purple sweet potato flatbreads! Purple sweet potatoes, or yams, are also very popular in Japan, so the combination of the curry and the flatbread is simply perfect.
I'll also post the recipe for homemade Furikake seasoning as well, I use this all the time and one recipe makes a big batch.
If you make this Japanese Curry Pumpkin Soup please tag me on Instagram! I'd love to know what you think.
Japanese Curry Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
- Food processor, blender or stick/immersion blender
- Baking sheet and parchment paper
- Frypan/ saute pan
- Chopping board, knife
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3 pounds) pumpkin (I recommend Japanese pumpkin or kabocha)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 small-medium brown/yellow onions, peeled and diced
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Japanese curry powder S&B brand
- 3 cups water
- ¼ cup coconut cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons cooking salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F.
- Roast or steam the pumpkin on baking trays for 45 minutes until a knife goes through easily, and let it cool slightly.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, prepare the garlic and onions as described.
- Sweat the onions in the oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the curry powder and mix well with the onion and garlic, stirring until fragrant (around 4 minutes). If the mixture is a little dry, add some more oil.
- Add the coconut cream and stir for 1-2 minutes.
- If using a food processor or blender, add the cooked pumpkin and the curry mixture and blend for a few minutes until smooth. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and blend with a stick/immersion blender.
- Re-heat and serve. You can garnish with coconut cream (perhaps watered down a bit to create a nice pattern on the surface of the soup) or with furikake seasoning.
- Leftovers may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- I like to use Jap or Kent pumpkins - these are Australian varieties. I always look for a dark orange flesh.
- Equipment: Food processor, blender or stick blender (a stockpot is needed if using a stick blender), frypan/skillet, knives, wooden spoon, chopping board, measuring cup and spoons.
Furikake Seasoning
Equipment
- Blender (if using nori sheets)
- Frypan
- measuring cups and spoons
- Glass jar for storage
Ingredients
- ½ cup white sesame seeds
- 25 grams (1 oz.) nori sheets or flakes
- 25 grams (1 oz.) dulse flakes, wakame flakes or wakame pieces
- ½ teaspoon cooking salt
- 2 teaspoons chilli flakes optional
Instructions
- Toast the sesame seeds on low-med heat on the stove for 5-10 minutes and then remove from the heat.
- If using nori sheets, cut them in to strips about 2cm/1 inch wide. You can do them all at the same time by keeping them stacked. After cutting in to strips, cut again to form squares. Place them in the blender and gradually pulse them in to small flakes (say 2-3mm). Be careful as you don't want to turn it in to powder! This doesn't work in a food processor.
- If you are using wakame pieces (larger than flakes), then you need to break these down by pulsing a little in the blender to about the same size (2-3mm).
- Combine all ingredients in a clean glass jar and shake to combine.
- Store in the pantry for up to 2 months.
Notes
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