Monsoon recipe: Low fat pumpkin soup

I have always found the monsoon to be extremely mood-uplifting and inspiring. It makes me want to take long walks, go on random train rides, eat fried foods from all the stalls I encounter, sing, even cook. It's a different matter that I spend most of it sitting by the window, mindlessly gazing outside, because in the battle between procrastination and motivation, the former always wins. However, having noticed of late that I waste too much time letting procrastination get the better of me (and finding a lot of expensive ingredients in my refrigerator that need to be cooked post haste), I decided to get off my behind and indulge in some monsoon cooking ...

The first in the series (I hope the rainspiration sustains for this to be an actual series) is the hearty and delicious pumpkin soup. I recently had the opportunity to try some and was absolutely blown away by its delicate flavour and rich texture. So when I found a stray slice of pumpkin hanging around in my vegetable basket, I decided to put it to use and make my own version of the dish. I was pleasantly surprised that it took hardly any time to make (I assumed pumpkin takes ages to cook considering chopping it was nothing short of a workout) and that it tasted more or less the same as the one I had at the restaurant. The best part, however, was that I managed to make it without any cream. With just a teaspoon of oil and a little bit of milk, the soup is healthy, flavourful and wholesome: just the way soups should be ...

Request you to acknowledge my humble attempt at garnishing to make the soup look good

Serves: 1

Cooking time: 45 minutes approx

Ingredients:

250g pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp oil

1.5 cup vegetable broth (I made my own broth by adding an onion, a carrot, half a leek and a pinch of salt to a deep-bottomed pan filled with water, bringing it to a boil and then simmering it for about half an hour.)

1/2 cup milk

Method:

• Heat the oil in a kadhai or pan and add the chopped onions and garlic. Saute till the onions become translucent.
• Now add the chopped pumpkin and mix well.
• Add 2 tbsp of the vegetable broth. Mix well, cover the pan and turn the flame to medium. Stir occasionally.
• Let the pumpkin cook till you're able to mash it with a spoon. If you think it's too dry, stir in some more broth. Now add the salt and pepper.
• Once cooked, allow the pumpkin to cool down and then put it in a blender, bringing it to a smooth consistency.
• Now put the mixture back in the pan along with the rest of the broth. On a medium flame, stir the pumpkin paste till it mixes in well with the broth.
• Once the mixture starts to boil, add the milk and stir well.
• Turn down the flame and allow the soup to cook, stirring occasionally, till it comes to your desired consistency.
• Serve hot!