This is Bhav’s go-to when the days are starting to draw in and the days are getting cold.
Actually this is a recipe in a book that has all four corners of the covers bent, finger, water and food marks throughout the pages and a tonne of tattered post-it notes hanging off it’s top edge – shabby chic at it’s finest! It’s a well loved cookbook that’s for sure.
It’s a book I purchased as a gift for myself when preparing to become a new mum. It is filled with nuggets of inspo for nourishing the body and useful suggestions on how to keep the mum just as fed, loved and nourished as the bub!
Just as a new mom needs to replenish vitality and strength after the transition from pregnancy to post-partum, seasonal transitions are also times of the year where we need to nourish and support our system.
For me, especially the transition from Summer with its qualities of heat, sharp, dryness, through Autumn and its qualities of air through wind, dryness, roughness, towards Winter’s cold, wet, wind, deeper roughness, this time of the year takes the most toll and is the toughest and most apparent on my internal systems.
This recipe uses warming – ginger, Asafetida to help with excess gas/bloating, grounding and sweet Pumpkin, anti-microbial garlic. I’ve added some suggestions on how to vary the recipe below but personally, I like the simplicity and ease of preparing less ingredients and combining for max flavours.
Pumpkin & Coconut Soup – from the book Nourishing Newborn Mothers by Julia Jones
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 25 mins
- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil, other good quality cooking fats
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped
- 600g of roughly chopped pumpkin – Butternut pumpkin is my fav but any pumpkin of choice will work
- 1 cup coconut milk (coconut cream will give a richer, thicker consistency, use the whole can if you prefer a thinner consistency).
- Fine pinch of asafetida (can be found in Indian grocery stores or health food stores)
- 1 tsp of good quality salt or to taste
- Freshly chopped coriander leaves to taste
Method:
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat
- Gently fry garlic and ginger until soft but not browned
- Add pumpkin, water, coconut milk, asafetida and salt and bring to the boil
- Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until the pumpkin is soft
- Add Coriander leaves and turn off heat
- Puree with a stick blender until creamy and smooth
- Serve hot with some flatbread and some extra, fresh coriander
Variations:
- Carrot is a lovely addition to amplify the grounding quality
- Red lentils can be added to give more substance to the dish and for an added, quick cook protein
- Adding freshly toasted and ground cumin & coriander seeds to help aid digestion
- Garam Marsala can also be added as a sprinkle when serving
- Adding chillies in any form – dried, toasted, fresh, oil, will give that spice hit if feeling sluggish and lethargic or for a lack of motivation.
- Onions can also be added for more flavour.
Let us know if you try this! And any other variations that you love, we’d love to hear about how you’ve enjoyed this one!
If you’d like to learn more about seasonal living, send us an email – hello@mysastudio.com.au
