Thai pumpkin in a coconut

Ingredients:

– medium pumpkin
– can of coconut milk
– lemon grass
– 3 dried kaffir lime leaves
– broth
– medium onion
– 3 garlic cloves
– dried galangal or grated ginger (thumb-size piece)
– 3-4 tablespoons of fish sauce or oyster sauce (I used oyster sauce)
– 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
– optional – lime juice, puff crouton, fresh basil or coriander leaves (for garnish)

Grinded Spices:

1 teaspoon of: Cayenne pepper (you can add more), turmeric, coriander, cumin, sweet pepper

Preparing:

– chop pumpkin into small cubes,
– fry finely chopped onion with brown sugar,

– add pressed garlic and fry for a while (avoid burning it because it’ll be bitter),
– add small part of finely chopped lemon grass (chop only green part, leave rest to add to the soup later). When lemon grass is tough, you can peel its outer part.

– add grinded spices. When you don’t have galangal add grated ginger. Fry everything for a while and add fish or oyster sauce (when it’s too thick add some broth),

– add chopped pumpkin and some broth. Simmer it, adding coconut milk,
– when pumpkin is tender, place everything in a pot, when it’s too thick add some broth,

– add the rest lemon grass, dried kaffir lime leaves and galangal root (if you don’t use ginger),
– simmer it until the pumpkin is tender,
– remove kaffir leaves, stalk of lemon grass and galangal, use stick blender to make it smooth,
– you can garnish the soup with fresh basil or coriander leaves and add puff crouton. When the soup is too spicy you can add some drops of lemon juice.