Pumpkin soup with spices

I noticed that such spices are well combined with pumpkin: nutmeg, coriander, ginger. They emphasize its delicate aroma and are suitable for sweet and savory dishes. Bay leaf, garlic, black pepper, zira add piquancy and bring their own intense flavor, they are only suitable for savory dishes. Often, pumpkin dishes get a little sugary taste, and if you need to balance the excess sweetness - add a little lemon juice, it gently extinguishes the sweetness and the dish will be piquant.

Ingredients:

In 4 portions 600 g raw pumpkin 1 large onion 40 g butter 1 tsp salt 700 ml of water 2 tbsp. lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon juice) Spices: 1 cm ginger root 3 cloves of garlic 1-2 bay leaves 0.5 tsp Zira (ground or seeded) 1/3 tsp ground coriander 1/3 tsp ground nutmeg 0.5 tsp turmeric a couple of pinches of freshly ground black pepper sour cream when serving

Onion peel. Cut into half rings or quarters into rings. The shape does not matter, because at the end the soup is mashed. Wash the pumpkin, trim the weathered spots, cut off the skin. Grate. Squeeze juice out of lemon. It will take 2 tbsp. juice.

Peel the ginger, cut the ginger root into small cubes. Peel and chop the garlic cloves in small pieces. At the end of cooking the soup is mashed - therefore the shape of the cut is not important.  In the pot, in which we will cook the soup, throw the onions and butter. Season the onions in oil for 7-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The bow should only redden slightly.  Add all the spices to the onion except garlic: ginger, cumin, bay leaf, nutmeg, coriander, turmeric, black ground pepper.

Stir and fry the spices for a minute.  Add pumpkin pulp, mix. Salt (0.5 tsp. Salt), mix again. From the pumpkin salt will release the juice and begin to stew.

Soak it all together under a lid for 7-8 minutes over low heat.

Boil 700 ml of water in the kettle.

Pour the boiling water into the pan to the pumpkin.

The amount of water is important to regulate the number of vegetables - water should not be too much otherwise the soup will be liquid. Boil the soup for another 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Mix.

Lemon acid will well balance the sweet taste of pumpkin, but a lot of lemon juice can make the soup sourish. Boil the soup for another couple of minutes.

Add garlic, salt to taste (about 0.5 tsp salt), note that the pumpkin is already salted. Stir the soup again and remove from heat.

Give the soup a little brew under the lid (10 minutes). Get bay leaves from the soup. Hot soup is thoroughly pursed with a blender until smooth.

If you used whole-grain seeds, some seeds may not be crushed - this is normal. Serve the soup hot or warm with a spoonful of sour cream or cream. You can sprinkle crackers. It is very tasty to serve bread toasted in the toaster. Enjoy your meal!