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Curried Pumpkin Coconut Chickpea soup
It was such a pleasure to take inspiration from the soup I enjoyed in Calgary and build this one from scratch. If you haven't tried making your own curries, please do. It's so satisfying and puts you in total control of the flavouring. I'm not saying pre-blended curry powders don't have their place, but there's something special about crafting a combination of seeds and spices to suit your own tastes. And it's fun when those mustard seeds start to pop and jump!
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 3 tsp chana masala
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 large red chile pepper seeded and minced
- 1/2 tsp dried curry leaf crushed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
- 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup chopped tomato (I used frozen)
- 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas rinsed
How To Make This Recipe
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Heat the coconut over medium low heat, then add the kalonji and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping, turn the heat to low and stir in the chana masala and the aromatics. Cook for a few minutes, stirring. (Your kitchen will be smelling so good at this point — make sure your exhaust fan is on and make the neighbours jealous!)
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When the onions and garlic have cooked down a bit add the curry leaf, salt, coconut milk and pumpkin puree. Stir until well blended, then add the tomato and chickpeas.
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Bring to a low boil, turn the heat to simmer and cook until the chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasonings after 20 minutes or so; if you want to make it spicier, for instance, you could add some dried red chile flakes, and you'll want to allow time for the flavours to meld.
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Serve and enjoy a fragrant bowl of exotic fall flavours.