22 October

As the calendar starts points towards October I feel a great amount of joy. It not only that time of the year when we Bengalis have our biggest festival - Durga Pooja or the entire country is into Navratri and Diwali celebrations but it also means my most cherished festival Christmas is not far behind. 

But before December October and November are the months which remind me of the beautiful fall time I had experience while living in Atlanta. We used to go on so many roadtrips in the Blueridge parkway region. I absolutely used to love those vibrant fall colors enveloping the rolling hills. 

But fall didn't only mean roadtrips or camping for us, it also meant Halloween, thanksgiving and baking some amazing stuffs with the seasonal pumpkins. The house would smell like a bakery - cinnamony, spicy , warm and bright. Those delicious pies and breads would make everyday of autumn so much more enticing. India doesnt really have a vibrant fall season. But still those experiences linger on in my mind and owing to lockdown situation last year I did have some time on hand to try a few autumnal recipes for the first time in India. 

• Do you leave the skin on when roasting pumpkin?
• It depends on the type of pumpkin and on your preference. I prefer leaving the skin on as it helps hold the shape.

• How do you ensure the roast pumpkin isn't soggy?
• To prevent sogginess, you need to roast the pumpkin at high heat. I baked it at 200 degree in my convection oven.

• What do you do with the seeds?
• When making roasted pumpkin do not discard the seeds. They can be later roasted with spices to make a delicious healthy snack!

30 September

The humidity from the long rain spells is finally lifting a bit and there’s a brisk chill in the air. September is a beautiful time. late summer produce like juicy plump tomatoes are still found in abundance in the local produce market while the weather feels like fall. So this year I am thinking of creating a fall series of dishes which will bring together the light and delicate flavors of summer with the comforting style of autumnal cooking.

What is the best you can do with beautiful ripened tomatoes? Of course make them into a hearty thick and warm tomato soup. 

I have never been a fan of tomato to start with. As a child I used to hate tomato because of its mushy texture. Then once I started train journeys, tomato soup became a constant companion as the pre dinner or the lunch refreshment served onboard. It was perfect to satiate the hunger pangs we would feel in between the meals.

Rail travels always evokes a sense of romanticism. I really miss those old days when me with my extended family of 10-15 members would travel in trains to hill stations during our summer breaks. Adults sharing stories and banter sitting across the berths and kids engrossed in a game of ludo was how our train travel would look like. Not to mention the homemade snacks that would keep doing the rounds as the stories would pick up pace. 

But even after these tiny hurdles we would always crave for this in-between meal soups. They would give us the perfect excuse to sip on the warm soup sitting beside the window and staring at the beautiful sceneries whooshing past. 

The long train journeys and family gateways might have become a thing of past in the post covid world but the unmistakable aroma of tomato, black pepper, and toasted bread still plays on my senses and makes me want to go back in time. 

I hope the recipe I am taking about today takes you also back to those days of amazing train travels. This roasted tomato soup is totally a summer-crossing-into-fall type of soup and ready in around 30 - 35 minutes

Checkout other soup recipes on my blog:

• Spicy Thai Pumpkin Soup 
• Mushroom Bok Choy Soup
• Chicken Clear Soup

5th October

I am not very fond of thick soups and prefer clear soups. So much so that I don't even like any traces of cornflower or any such thickening agent in my soups. When I say clear it needs to be a clear light soup. Thus when asked to make pumpkin soup for an ongoing contest in Instagram, I was in two minds. Pumpkin soup is rarely clear, rather never clear, its usually a thick creamy soup. And as I said, I am not very fond of thick soups. So the question was how to make it palatable so that I will not hate it after I make it. I started looking at traditional pumpkin soups on the net. 

That's when I came across is amazing Thai version of the pumpkin soup. The creamy soup is a very interesting. Instead of the popular American pumpkin soup, the Spicy Coconut Pumpkin soup which traditionally made in Thai cuisine and loaded with fresh citrusy flavors from the lemongrass and kaffir lime.

It ticked all the boxes of the flavor profile I felt I would love- sweet, spicy, tart and a lil salty. It is made with pan fried onions, red pumpkin, pepper cloves, a hint of cinnamon, star anise, galangal, coriander root, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chunks of fresh coconut, turmeric, garlic cloves, birds eye chili, lemon juice, fish sauce and finally coconut milk. It is filling, warm and comforting. It eventually turned out to be just a perfect autumn soup after all! 

Even if you miss a few ingredients here and there just do a dare to yourself and play around with some of the herbs to get something even more appetizing and unique.

Ingredients :

• Red Pumpkin - 1 cup, peeled and cubed
• Onion - 1 sliced
• Garlic cloves - 3-4 , chopped
• Ginger/ Galangal - 1/2 inch, finely chopped
• Lemongrass - 1/3 rd stalk , bruised
• Bird's Eye Chilli - 2
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp or Turmeric Root - 3/4th inch
• Kaffir Lime Leaves - 4-5
• Coconut - 6 -7 pieces
• Peppercorn - 4-5
• Star Anise - 1 petal of the star
• Cinnamon powder - 1/4th tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp or Coriander Root - 1 tbsp. , diced
• Thick Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
• Fish Sauce -  2 tsp
• Lime Juice - 2 tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar - 3 tsp
• Refined oil - 1 tbsp.
• Vegetable Stock - 2 cups (approx.)

Method:

1. Cut all the vegetables as mentioned above and keep it ready for next step.

Note: I used two different types of pumpkin here as you can see in the image. One with a light yellow shade and the other red. You can use any color of pumpkin to make this soup but the more it is pigmented the more vibrant the soup will look.

2. Take a pan and heat the oil on medium. First add the sliced onions. Sauté for a minute.

3. Then add the ginger, garlic and bird's eye chilli and sauté again for a couple of minutes.

4. Now add the remaining - dry red chilli, coconut pieces, pepper corn, star anise, pumpkin pieces. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes and let the pumpkin start to sweat.

Note: I have added two different type of chillies. The dry red ones for color mainly and the bird's eye chilli for the heat. You can vary the spice level as per your taste. The one I made was considerably spicy and maybe too much for kids.

Note 2: If you are using turmeric root, add at this stage and sauté it with rest.

5. Add 2 cups of vegetable stock or water to the pan . Add salt, sugar, kaffir lime leaves, bruised lemon grass, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder, coriander and fish sauce. Fold everything in and bring it to a boil.

Note: we are not adding too much liquid at this point because pumpkin itself also gives off water.

Note 2: If you feel that adding both kaffir lime leaves & lemon grass might be a bit too much citrusy, you can skip either of them and add only one.

6. Turn the heat down and let this simmer covered for about 10 - 15 minutes or till the pumpkins are mushy or easily break under the pressure of a spoon.

Note: If you are using raw turmeric root, then remove it now. Also remove the lemon grass.

7. Now slowly add the coconut milk and give it a stir to mix in. Let it simmer for about a minute on low flame.

8. Now take it off heat and let it come to room temperature before blending it. Add the lime juice now to the blender. Preferably first pulse it in batches and then one final time blend it all in. You can add more water/ stock if you want a runny soup.

9. Now sieve the entire thing through a juice strainer to get that beautiful smooth finish.

Garnish it with some roasted pumpkin seeds, bird's eye chili and a nice swirl of coconut cream. Serve it hot or cold as per your liking.

Pro Tip: Sweet potato or carrots can also be used in this recipe replacing pumpkins. It can also be paired with roasted shredded chicken or prawns for some additional proteins.