Curried pumpkin soup

Spice up your life

Most of us prefer not to eat bland food, and consider a well-stocked spice rack a kitchen essential. What’s really interesting is that science agrees with us. Whether you like lots of heat in your meals or just a little, eating spicy food could benefit your wellbeing.

Most of the spices you find in curry powder bring more than flavor to recipes like this curried pumpkin soup. For example, studies suggest that consuming dishes made with curry powder can boost cardiovascular health in several ways. It may work to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and reduce triglyceride levels.(1) All of this helps to decrease the risk of developing heart disease.

What’s more, many of the spices in curry powder act as antioxidants.(2) This means they protect our cells against the damage caused by free radicals. Also known as oxidative stress, experts have linked such damage to a broad range of chronic diseases. It even contributes to ageing, so eating curried pumpkin soup might just help to keep you youthful!

Numerous spices – including ginger, turmeric, and coriander – also have anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation raises the risk of several harmful health conditions, making curry dishes even more beneficial to wellbeing.

Excitingly, studies have additionally found that eating spicy food correlates with a lower risk of death.(3) So spicing up your life with a curried pumpkin soup might even help to extend it!

The potent health benefits of pumpkins

You can add curry powder to all sorts of dishes, so why choose to make this curried pumpkin soup? Well, pumpkin does more than bulk out the dish. This vibrant vegetable also offers a wealth of its own wellness-boosting benefits.

For starters, pumpkins are packed with plenty of key vitamins and minerals. These include vitamins A and C, both of which strengthen the immune system.(4) Vitamin A helps to fight infections, while vitamin C supports wound healing and the production of white blood cells.

Several of the vitamins that pumpkins contain also enhance skin health. For instance, vitamin E works to keep skin hydrated, while vitamin C is necessary to produce collagen. This is a protein that ensures your skin stays smooth and strong. Moreover, the beta-carotene in pumpkins could help to protect skin cells from the damage caused by UV rays.(5) Although eating this curried pumpkin soup doesn't mean you can stop using sun cream!

Speaking of beta-carotene, this colorful carotenoid is beneficial for your eyesight too. Studies indicate that it can reduce the chances of developing cataracts, helping to protect your vision.(6) What’s more, pumpkins are a fabulous source of lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids are potent antioxidants which support eye health in a number of ways. That includes reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration and protecting the eyes from harmful blue light.(7)

Finally, just like the curry powder, the pumpkin in this curried pumpkin soup is good for your heart. One reason for this is that it’s rich in potassium, a mineral which lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke.(8) Meanwhile, pumpkin’s antioxidant properties help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, decreasing the likelihood of developing heart disease.

Soul-warming and delicious: our curried pumpkin soup recipe

Now that we’ve explored some of the reasons why this dish is so good for you, it’s time to get technical. Here’s how to make our curried pumpkin soup recipe.

Start by adding the oil to a large saucepan. We’ve suggested sunflower oil, but you can swap this for your favorite alternative if you prefer. Then pop in the onion, red pepper, garlic, and carrot. Give the mixture a stir, and sauté the ingredients on a medium heat before adding the veggie stock. Next, spoon in the pumpkin purée and mix it all together until your soup has an even texture.

Once you’re happy with the base of your curried pumpkin soup, you can move on to the seasonings. Sprinkle in the sea salt, black pepper, and curry powder to amp up the flavor. Feel free to adjust the amount of each you use to suit your palate or the people you’re cooking for.

Last, in goes the reishi mushroom powder – more on the benefits of that special ingredient later. Then simmer your curried pumpkin soup on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes. Your kitchen should be starting to smell pretty good by this point!

When the dish is cooked, stir in the vegan yoghurt and some chopped parsley. Then you’re ready to serve. Spoon your curried pumpkin soup into bowls and top with a bright swirl of yoghurt and dash of olive oil. For maximum health benefits, we recommend using extra virgin olive oil. Next, garnish with colorful pops of chilli and more parsley, and finally a scattering of pine nuts for crunch. Enjoy while it’s still warm!

Terrific toppings

The toppings we’ve recommended for this curried pumpkin soup bring color, flavor, and texture to the bowl. But that’s not all. They also level up the health benefits of the dish.

For example, chilli peppers are rich in a compound called capsaicin, which is what gives them their heat. Evidence indicates that capsaicin can support weight loss and fat burning by boosting your metabolism.(9) It might additionally suppress appetite, while also increasing the number of calories you burn.

Turning to pine nuts, these can promote heart health thanks to a polyunsaturated fatty acid called pinolenic acid. This helps to lower levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, reducing the risk of it building up in your arteries.(10) What’s more, sprinkling pine nuts on your curried pumpkin soup could be useful for boosting the health of your brain. That’s because they’re a good source of key nutrients like omega-3.

Parsley offers us a surprising number of potential benefits to wellbeing too. For instance, the herb is rich in vitamin K, which is vital for blood clotting and building strong bones. It’s also bursting with folate, a B vitamin that studies have linked with a lower risk of heart disease.

The final topping on our curried pumpkin soup is olive oil. This acts as both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce the risk of chronic disease. Research suggests that olive oil protects the heart by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and lowering blood pressure.(11) It might also improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels, decreasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.(12) Olive oil may even help combat Alzheimer’s disease, however further research is required to clarify this.

Reishi powder: our immune-supporting secret ingredient

Most of the ingredients in this curried pumpkin soup recipe are commonplace. However, here at Erbology, we always enjoy putting a twist on our dishes by enhancing them with powerful functional foods you might not find in the supermarket. Enter reishi. With a nickname like the mushroom of immortality, you can see why we wanted to include it in the dish!

Practitioners of traditional medicine systems have been using reishi for generations, most notably to boost immunity. And modern scientific research is beginning to find evidence to support this ancient wisdom. This medicinal mushroom is rich in potent polysaccharides called beta-glucans, as well as secondary metabolites like triterpenes. As such, it’s able to stimulate the activity of certain types of immune cells, including macrophages and natural killer cells.(13)

It’s not only our physical health that reishi could be good for though – it’s also our mental health. As an adaptogen, it can enable the mind and body to cope with different kinds of stress more effectively. This is more important than you might think, because chronic stress contributes to a number of harmful conditions. These include obesity, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, anxiety, a weakened immune system, and insomnia.

There’s also evidence to suggest that reishi could help to alleviate fatigue and increase feelings of wellbeing.(14) What’s more, research indicates that this fantastic fungus might work to improve the duration and quality of your sleep.(15) That’s as a result of key sterols and triterpenoids it contains, such as beta-sitosterol. So, adding reishi powder to your curried pumpkin soup may make it easier for you to drift off at night!

All about our organic reishi mushroom powder

Quality is crucial when it comes to medicinal mushrooms. Using a high-end reishi powder in your curried pumpkin soup will help ensure that you get the maximum benefit from it. That’s exactly why we work with expert mycologists to cultivate ours.

Our team grows reishi in small batches on organic lignocellulosic substrates, under meticulously controlled conditions in Europe. This gives the fungus all the nutrients it requires. Once mature, we carefully dry the mushrooms at 60°C to prevent microbial contamination, before grinding them into a fine powder. This makes it easy for you to use.

In order to confirm that our reishi is top quality, we have it checked by independent and accredited testers. They verify that our organic reishi mushroom powder is exceptionally rich in potent beta-glucans. We then ship it out to you in environmentally friendly amber glass jars.

Reishi powder has a mildly bitter mushroom taste that goes perfectly in this curried pumpkin soup. However, there are plenty of other ways you can take it. Hot liquid helps draw out the nutrients, so stirring some into coffee or making mushroom tea are both great options. Likewise, stews and risottos work really well with functional fungi. Alternatively, make the most of reishi’s sleep-enhancing powers by treating yourself to a mushroom hot chocolate before bed!

It's possible to take reishi daily, but we suggest doing so in cycles. Having a break after 6-8 weeks of use helps to avoid over-stimulating the immune system or developing a tolerance. As with all functional fungi, speak to a doctor before taking reishi if you have an existing health condition or are currently on medication. Medicinal mushrooms are not suitable for children, or people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Super serving suggestions for this curried pumpkin soup

One thing we love about this curried pumpkin soup recipe is how versatile it is. You’ve got plenty of options for customizing it to suit your taste. And that’s not only in terms of the level of spice you use.

For instance, instead of the pine nuts, you could get your crunch from sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Alternatively, mix up the seasonings by using coriander leaf in place of the parsley. You can also try creating that gorgeous white swirl on top of the soup with coconut cream rather than yoghurt. And if you’re in the mood for some culinary experimentation, swap the curry powder for your own blend of spices.

If you’d like some extra protein in your dish, you might consider making curried pumpkin lentil soup instead. Other ideas include adding sweet potato or tomato to the base of the soup for a greater depth of flavor. Whichever way you make it, it’s also easy to scale up the recipe. Perfect for larger dinner parties or times when you want to freeze some and reheat it later.

Freshly baked bread is always a superb choice when serving soup, but it’s far from the only one. As an example, if you’d prefer something with a bit more bite, you could try our range of crackers. We find the Indian spiced variety in particular makes a fabulous pairing with this curried pumpkin soup.

With autumn fast approaching and pumpkins back in season, there’s never been a better time to try out this recipe. We’re sure you’ll find that there is nothing more comforting on a dark and chilly night!