Ethiopian Pumpkin Soup with Berbere Pepitas and Pinenuts
Ingredients
Scale
For the berbere:
- 2tsp cumin seeds
- 8 cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 8 small dried red chillies
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp groundpinch of turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp paprika
For the soup:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 5cm fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 750g pumpkin, cut into chunks
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp salt
To Serve:
- Greek yogurt (omit or substitute soy yoghurt if vegan)
- Fresh coriander
For the Berbere Pepitas and Pinenuts:
- 1 tsp Berbere spice mix
- 1/4 cup Pepita and Pinenut mix (or other nut mix of your choice)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
To make the berbere:
- Toast the first seven spices in a dry frying pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Shake the pan often. Cool, then grind in a pestle and mortar with the rest of the spices until you have a fine powder.
To make the soup:
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until soft and pale gold. Add the ginger and 2 tsp of the berbere and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the pumpkin and stir until well covered with the spices, then add the tomato puree, salt and 500ml water.
- Stir, cover and bring to the boil.
- Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Cool and use a stick blender or potato masher to puree the mixture until smooth. You may leave some chunks of pumpkin whole – I prefer my soup to be smooth.
To make the Berbere Pepitas and Pinenuts:
- Mix the nuts with the spice mix, salt and olive oil. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pour the mixture onto the tray and spread out. Roast for 10 minutes in a medium until the nuts are golden and fragrant.
To Serve:
- Warm the soup if necessary. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- Garnish with yoghurt, coriander and the Berbere Pepitas and Pinenuts.