Your Ramadan Table: Roasted pumpkin soup with garlic curry oil

100 gms carrots

100 gms celery

25 gms butter

25 gms heavy cream

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2 sprigs of thyme

A handful of roasted pumpkin seeds

For garlic curry oil

100 gms corn oil

2 tbsp curry powder (store bought)

30 gms garlic (sliced)

For croutons

1 baguette (store bought)

1 tbsp olive oil

5 gms garlic

Two pinches of curry powder (optional)

Method:

Vegetable stock:

In a big pot, add 2 litres of water and bring it to a simmer. Add 100g carrots, 200g white onions, and 100g celery (all cut into large pieces) to the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes over a medium flame, then strain and cool the mixture. Your vegetable stock is ready.

Roast the pumpkin:

Peel the butternut pumpkin and remove the seeds. Cut it into medium-sized pieces, add a bit of olive oil, salt, thyme, garlic, and roast it in the pre-heated oven at 170°C until it becomes soft and has a nice roasted charred crust on it.

Garlic curry oil:

In a pot, add 100 grams of corn oil and 30 grams of sliced garlic. Sauté the garlic until it's golden brown, over a low flame, then remove the pot from the stove and add two teaspoons of curry powder. Combine it well. Garlic curry oil is now ready. Keep it aside.

For croutons:

Slice the baguette and drizzle it with olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and curry powder (optional). Roast it in the oven at 160°C for 5 minutes or until crispy.

To assemble:

In a blender, add the roasted pumpkin and the prepared vegetable stock. Blend until smooth. Add more stock to get the desired consistency, if the mixture is too thick. Add some heavy cream, salt, and butter. Blend it and transfer the mixture to a saucepan; heat it over a low flame for 5 minutes, and add white pepper. Now, transfer the soup to a serving bowl. Drizzle some garlic curry oil on top of it. Serve the croutons with the pumpkin soup. You can also add roasted pumpkin seeds on top for a bit of crunch.

Tips:

When making the vegetable stock, don't chop the vegetables too small as it can make the stock cloudy. Always chop them into large pieces to get clear stock.

Don't simmer the stock for more than 30 minutes as the vegetables will have given all their flavour to the water by then. Simmering them longer will only turn the vegetables into mush.

You can make a vegan version of this soup by avoiding butter and heavy cream.

Use butternut pumpkin as it has more flavour.

You can replace corn oil with any other oil that has a high boiling temperature, such as peanut oil, grape seed oil, or avocado oil.

Consider using sea salt instead of iodised salt for better flavour and health benefits.

Roasted pumpkin soup with garlic curry oil is like a warm hug on a chilly day. The nutty flavour of roasted pumpkin, the warmth of curry, and the richness of garlic oil come together to create a dish that's both comforting and exciting. It's a perfect blend of flavours and textures that will delight your taste buds and leave you feeling satisfied.

- Chef John Buenaventura, Executive Chef and Host of Your Ramadan Table by Gulf News