Coconut Pumpkin Soup

We grow pumpkins and the other ingredients for this soup so easily in our climate. Click on the link for the recipe.

 Silky Coconut Pumpkin Soup

With our indigenous “pumpkin”, calabaza squash, in full season we buy a wedge every week and I try a new recipe. Epicurious.com has been a good source for recipes, some are great as is, and others, like this one, needed some tweaking. Here’s my version which turns out to be very much like those I had in South East Asia. Note that the roasting of the shallots is important for the flavour.

You could also try

Pumpkin Carrot Soup with ginger

Cooking Taro and Jicama (Yam Bean) Rolls & other Asian recipes

Taro plant

Yam Bean dip sticks

There are many vegetarian recipes on 'Nyonya Food' blog. This is an interesting recipe because it demonstrates how to use both Taro and Jicama(Yam Bean) in an interesting dish.











 Try also

Jiu Hu Char (Fried Jicama/Yambean with Shredded Cuttlefish)

Here is another blog recipe using Jicama sticks: The Skinny Confidential

Cassava

The same blog, Nyonya Food, also has a recipe for a Cassava Cake, another of our easily grown foods.

Delicieux's Asian Noodle Soup

This Asian Noodle soup (at Delicieux) blog uses many ingredients we grow, lime, ginger, coriander, lemongrass and chili.

Recipe for a very mild Sambal

This recipe uses local plants and spices. If you like a hot sambal add more chili.

Perennial Garlic at the reshooting stage

Perennial Capsicum, small but prolific

Lemon Grass

Rocoto Tree Chili - very hot

Galangal

Ingredients:

- One clove of perennial garlic
- Quarter of a hot chili
- A good handful of small red perennial capsicums or use a large capsicum
- 1/4 teaspoon dried nutmeg powder
- 1 onion, preferably mild, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons-  chopped palm sugar

- dash of coconut oil. Coconut oil adds flavour. Don't use olive oil
- 2 Curry Tree leaf bunches
- 2 Lemongrass stems, bruised
- 1 cm Galangal, peeled and sliced. Fresh ginger could substitute.
- 2 tablespoons Tamarind paste or substitute lime juice
- 2 tablespoons salt

Directions

1. Combine first seven ingredients and grind or blend finely. If you are not bothered by a more fibrous sambal you can also blend the lemon grass and galangal added in the next step.

2. Heat oil and saute ground ingredients together with curry tree leaves, lemon grass and galangal, stirring until the mixture changes colour. Add tamarind juice and simmer for another minute, then leave to cool.

3. Remove curry tree leaves, lemon grass and galangal before serving.

4. It will last at least a week in the refridgerator.  I use a large dollop to stir-fry climbing or bush beans but use to stir-fry any suitable vegetables such as baby chokoes.

This recipe was an adaptation of an asian recipe. You can experiment and vary the ingredients to taste.