Pumpkin and Coconut Milk Soup (Gaeng Liang Fak Tong) Recipes

Ingredients :

2 tbsp dried shrimp, rinsed

1 lemongrass stalk, tender midsection only, chopped

4 shallots, quartered

3 red Fresno or serrano chiles, seeded

1 tsp dried shrimp paste

1/2 cup (4 fl oz / 125ml) coconut cream

3 cups (24 fl oz / 750ml) coconut milk

2 cups (16 fl oz / 500ml) chicken stock

1.5 tsp roasted chile paste

8 kaffir lime leaves, spines removed

1 lb (500g) piece pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) cubes

1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup (3.5 oz / 105g) drained canned straw mushrooms

1 tbsp fresh lime juice, or to taste

1/2 cup (1/2 oz / 15g) Thai basil leaves

Method :

In a blender, combine the dried shrimp, lemongrass, shallots, chiles and dried shrimp paste. Process to form a smooth paste.

Put the coconut cream into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, stock, chile paste, lime leaves and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar, mushrooms, lime juice and basil and heat through. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve.

Serves 6-8

Note - A soup of pumpkin and coconut milk is one of the many dishes that cross the culinary borders of Southeast Asia. My favorite version comes from Thailand, where the luxury of adding extra spices and ingredients helps develop a more complex flavor.

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