"Chic" pumpkin velouté with garam masala
Ingredients
Serves 6
1 kg pumpkin or winter squash, 1 medium onion, 1 5-cm piece fresh ginger, 2 cloves garlic, ½ bunch fresh coriander/cilantro , 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter), divided, 100 g. red lentils, 5 teaspoons garam masala, divided, 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 400 ml. can coconut milk, 4 slices good-quality French gingerbread, 20 cl. coconut cream.
Steps
Prep the ingredients: Peel the pumpkin or squash and cut into large chunks. Peel and chop the onion, ginger, and garlic. Chop the cilantro, and reserve several pretty sprigs for the garnish.
Heat the ghee in a medium Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic, and sweat them 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin chunks, the lentils, 3 teaspoons of garam masala and the salt. Pour in the top half of the coconut milk (the liquid), and 150 ml water. Cover, and simmer 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft and cooked through.
Meanwhile, cut the French gingerbread into small cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a large skillet. Add the gingerbread cubes, and sauté 5 minutes, or until crisp and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
Stir the remaining coconut milk, the chopped coriander, and one more teaspoon of garam masala into the soup. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Adjust the seasonings and thin with a little water, if necessary.
Stir together the coconut cream, the remaining 1 teaspoon garam masala, and a large pinch of salt in a small bowl.
Ladle the soup into 6 bowls. Spoon a ‘quenelle’ of coconut cream in the center, sprinkle with gingerbread croutons, and garnish with a few sprigs of coriander/cilantro.
Further Information
Beena Paradin-Migotto's recipe