Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp smokey paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 medium-sized kumara, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ Japanese pumpkin or ½ butternut pumpkin, seeds and skin removed and roughly chopped
- 750ml water
- 7 fresh cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 x 270ml can low-fat coconut milk, keep a few teaspoons aside for garnishing
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 x 400g cans lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 garlic clove, crushed for the garlicky olive oil lentils garnishing (optional)
Method
Step 1
Place a large deep saucepan onto medium-high heat, add roughly a tablespoon of olive oil and ½ a cup of the lentils. Sauté the lentils on medium-high heat for about a minute.Step 2
Add the 1 garlic clove for garnish, turn the heat down slightly, and sauté for a few minutes until the garlic has mellowed and the lentils are slightly crispy. Remove the lentils form the pan and set aside for garnishing the soup later (feel free to skip this step as its purely for garnishing the soup).Step 3
Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan (no need to rinse after sautéeing the lentils), followed by the onion, ground spices, and the garlic, then stir to combine. Sauté for a few minutes and until the onion is soft.Step 4
Next, add the kumara, pumpkin, water, coconut milk (reserve a few teaspoons for serving), and salt.Step 5
Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat. Cover and allow to simmer for approx. 30 minutes or until the kumara and pumpkin are soft.Step 6
Once the pumpkin and kumara are soft, blend until smooth using a stab mixer or a heat-proof blender.Step 7
Once blended add and stir through the rinsed and drained lentils.Step 8
Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle over a little of the remaining coconut milk, then sprinkle some garlicky lentils, and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (optional).Step 9
Serve with fresh crusty bread and enjoy.