Pumpkin Rice Laksa Soup

• 600g/1lb 6oz pumpkin, butternut squash, onion squash or acorn squash, halved, peeled and deseeded
• A small handful of lime leaves
• 2-3 chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
• 3 sticks of lemongrass, outer leaves removed
• A large handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves picked, stalks chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon five-spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Olive oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 565ml/1 pint chicken or vegetable stock
• 200g/7oz basmati rice
• 2 x 400ml/14oz tins of coconut milk
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of 1 or 2 limes
• Optional: 1 fresh red chilli, sliced
• Optional: fresh coconut, grated

1. First of all you need to chop the pumpkin flesh into 5cm/2-inch pieces.
2. To make your fragrant soup base, first chop, then whizz or bash up the following in your food processor or pestle and mortar until you have a pulpy mix: the lime leaves, chillies, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander stalks, five-spice and cumin.
3. Remove any stringy bits that may remain in the pulp.
4. Put this fragrant mixture into a high-sided pan with a little oil and your finely sliced onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes to release the flavours.
5. Add the pumpkin and the stock to the pan.
6. Stir around, scraping all the goodness off the bottom of the pan.
7. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for about 15 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
8. At this point, add the rice and give it a really good stir.
9. Some of the pumpkin will begin to mush up, but youll also have some chunks.
10. Continue to simmer with the lid on until the rice is cooked, then off comes the lid.
11. Add the coconut milk, stir again, taste and season carefully with salt and pepper.
12. To give it a bit of sharpness add the lime juice the amount will depend on how juicy your limes are, but the idea is to give the soup a little twang.

pumpkin, handful of lime leaves, chillies, garlic, ginger, outer, handful of fresh coriander, fivespice, ground cumin, olive oil, white onion, chicken, basmati rice, coconut milk, salt, fresh red chilli, fresh coconut

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/pumpkin-rice-laksa-soup (may not work)