Pumpkins Everywhere...
Around this time of year, I see pumpkins. Everywhere. Even though Halloween is over, I can’t stop looking at the gourds. Wondering if I’ll ever be able to carve one of those masterpieces I see around the neighborhood and think, next year…I will figure out that stencil thing. While I can’t carve a pumpkin, I was able to try out a few pumpkin recipes that I think are scarily delicious. And bonus–they’re gluten free!
Thai Pumpkin Soup
I like to use Kabocha pumpkin. Mostly because you don’t have to deal with peeling the skin off. For soup, it’s just cut and drop in the pot. If you’d like to use sugar pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash; just roast it in the oven for about 45 minutes and scoop out the meat.
Last year, I made a Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup–it was pretty basic; and introduced me to squash in soup…and the lovely immersion blender gadget. This year, I thought I would make my favorite Thai soup, Tom Kha Kai and replace the Kai (chicken) with pumpkin. At first, the easy route was to make the soup and just add pieces of pumpkin; but then I wondered what it might taste like with the pumpkin and coconut and lime blended together.
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups kabocha pumpkin, diced (or sugar pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash)
- 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 stalk lemon grass (smash to release flavor)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (optional) or lime zest
- 1/4 cup shallots, diced
- 2 cloves clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon galangal or ginger, chopped
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- fish sauce to taste
- 1 lime, juice
- sugar to taste
- 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, without seeds
Cooking Directions
Thai Pumpkin Soup
I also thought I’d try a new spin on another traditional favorite–the potato latke. I know its still a bit early to start the latke making, but who says you can only have latkes once a year? If you actually had to shred the vegetables by hand, I could see why these would be served on special occasions, but a few whizzes with a food processor, and vegetable pancakes are a tasty treat anyday.
Parsnip and Pumpkin Pancake--how pretty is that?
Parsnip & Pumpkin Pancake
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded pumpkin (I used kabocha--no peeling necessary)
- 1 cup parnsip, shredded
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons rice or potato flour
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Directions
Parsnip & Pumpkin Pancake
For a real Fall taste, serve with applesauce mixed with a bit of cranberry. Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt.
I didn’t know when I wrote this post that there was a blog hop this month featuring #squashlove, until my Twitter friend, @thedailypalette invited me to join. Of course, she must’ve known that nearly every food blogger would have a scrumptious take on pumpkins this fall. My pumpkin pancakes look very much like her Filipino Ukoy dish; but I’m learning that nearly every culture has their spin on the shredded and fried vegetable. From potato latkes to cabbage okonomiyaki to Annapet’s Ukoy, they’re all delicious variations on a traditional recipe.
If you want to join in on the #squashlove, just link your squashy post to thedailypalette.com.
Hi eda!
your thai pumkin soup looks similar to our “ginataang kalabasa” or pumpkin in coconut milk and I should agree with you that Okoy has a lot of variation just like what you have here, lovely!
looking forward to more of you!
thank you! i’m not sure why I never thought to use pumpkin in thai soup before. kabocha custard and kabocha curry are traditional thai dishes too.
I love parsnips! What a great idea to pair these flavors together!
yes–they are a sweet combination!
i love kabocha – its a favorite! the soup looks delicious! was your shredded kabocha (for the pancake) raw?
yes–use raw if you will be making the pancakes. i tried it with roasted and it was mushy and didn’t crisp. thanks for reading!
Eda, I am so happy when I see your late night tweets, and I couldn’t wait to read your entire post so I could comment!
You are right! There’s latke, okonomiyaki, kakiage [I just learned from Nami, author of “Just One Cookbook” blog.
thanks for including me in #squashlove annapet! no idea people were so passionate about the pumpkin. i wanna try your ukoy with green papaya!
How incredibly scrumptious, two wonderful recipes. The soup looks gorgeous and the latke, I’ll take two please!
Both of these recipes are great! I especially love the parsnip and pumpkin pancakes. I love parsnips, but my husband isn’t so crazy about them; however, I bet he would love this! I know I would.
What a great idea..pumpkin pancakes ! And I love how they’re similar to our Filipino version “okoy” which Annapet & Dudut both just made. Glad to cook along with you on this fun squashlove!
Enjoyed the Thai Pumpkin Soup, too! I’m a soupy fanatic. Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing, that as well!
I love how you shared two dishes, and they compliment each other so beautifully! The pancake sounds fantastic, I love fun side dishes like this! Beautiful, Hugs, Terra