When there are plenty of pumpkins about, soup seems the obvious answer. This Thai version is a little out-of-the-ordinary and taste superb. Add salt to this soup with care, the shrimps will have been lightly salted before drying, and the shrimp paste and fish sauce may also be salty.
Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
1 lemon grass stalk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 shallots, finely chopped
2.5 ml/0.5 teaspoon shrimp paste
15 ml/1 tablespoon dried shrimps, soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained
2 fresh green chilies, seeded
Salt, to taste
600 ml/1 pint/2.5 cups chicken stock
450 g/1 lb pumpkin, cut into 2 cm/0.75 inch chunks
600 ml/1 pint/2.5 cups creamed coconut
30 ml/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
5 ml/1 teaspoon granulated sugar
8-12 small cooked peeled shrimps (prawns)
Ground black pepper, to taste
2 fresh red chilies, seeded and finely sliced, to garnish
10-12 fresh basil leaves, to garnish
Method:
Cut off the lower 5 cm/2 inch of the lemon grass stalk and chop it roughly. Put it in a mortar and add the garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, dried shrimps, green chilies and salt. Grind to a paste. Pour the chicken stock into a large pan. Bring it to the boil, add the ground paste and stir gently to blend it into the stock.
Add the pumpkin and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Stir in the creamed coconut, then bring back to a simmer. Add the Thai fish sauce, sugar and ground black pepper to taste.
Add the shrimps and cook until they are heated through. Serve in heated soup bowls, each one garnished with the finely sliced red chilies and the whole basil leaves.
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