To celebrate this year's Pumpkin Fest, chefs at InterContinental Maldives combined the flavours of the season by creating a creamy pumpkin soup, crafted with locally grown pumpkins and infused with aromatic Maldivian spices, creating a warm and comforting dish that captures the essence of the season. We added a mouthwatering grilled cheese sandwich to complement the soup, featuring a perfect blend of gooey cheese and toasted bread for that satisfying crunch.
If you want to make pumpkin soup and grilled cheese sandwich at home, we have the full recipe below for you to try out.
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoon Olive Oil
800g Local Pumpkin
1 Medium Onion (Finely Chopped)
2 Cloves of Garlic (Pressed or Sliced Thin)
1 Bunch Rosemary
1 Bunch Thyme
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
½ Cup Heavy Coconut Cream
Fried Curry Leaves (Small Bunch)
2 Tablespoons Soft Butter
2 Slices of Sour Dough Bread
80g Mild Yellow Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)
40g Mozzarella Cheese (Shredded)
How To Create the Dish:
Start by preheating the oven to 220°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Cut the pumpkin in half and carefully remove the seeds. Then grab your pumpkin and slice each half of the pumpkin into quarters. Brush or rub one tablespoon of olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin. Place the quarters, with the cut sides facing down, onto a baking sheet. Add some rosemary, thyme, and a few slices of garlic to the pumpkin quarters. Roast the pumpkin for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh can be easily pierced with a fork. After roasting, set the pumpkin aside to cool.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large and heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Once the oil starts shimmering, add the onion, garlic, and salt to the skillet. Stir everything properly to combine. Then, stir occasionally until the onion turns translucent, which should take around 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel off the skin of the pumpkins and discard it.
Next, add the pumpkin flesh, thyme, rosemary, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use a stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth and coconut cream into the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
As you wait, start to prepare the cheese toast. First, preheat the grill pan to 180°C. Next, apply the soft butter to both slices of bread. Then, top each slice of bread with cheddar cheese and mozzarella. Finally, grill the toast until the cheese is well-browned and crispy around the edges. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the pumpkin mixture is cooked, remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender in the pot to blend the soup. Working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to the blender. Purée the mixture until it is smooth. Transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.
Time to taste the dish and make necessary adjustments if required. If you prefer a creamier and milder flavour, you can add more coconut milk.
Lastly, ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with fried curry leaves powder, coconut cream scoop, and cinnamon dust. Serve hot.
