Pumpkin Soup / maththan soup / Manjal Poosani soup

Winter is on. air is dry and lightly cold. I have started making a soup daily. Today made Pumpkin Soup.

Pumpkin also known as Kadhdhu / Kasi bhopla / Maththan /manjal poosani / budi kumbala / budikumbadi is a bright orange vegetable which is easy to cook and is little sweet in taste. The flesh, seeds, stringy inner part all are edible. With the stringy part inside on which seeds are seen can be used in chutney making. (will post the recipe). 

It is rich in vitamins and minerals. Good for prostrate gland and heart, irritable bladder and the seeds are used to treat mood swings and depression.

Pumpkin is orange inside (which means it is ripe). If it is pale in colour then it is not a ripe pumpkin. Some mistake it for ashgourd which is white inside and is also used in the famous 'petha' from Agra.

The best way to get all the nutrients in a vegetable is by par boiling it. So let me share a nice soup recipe today.

Ingredients :-

1. Ripe pumpkin - 1/4 kg
2. Bay leaf - 1/4 leaf
3. Black pepper - 4 nos.
4. Onion - 1 small
5. Salt to taste
6. Water - 1 cup
7. Butter - 1 tbsp (you can use olive oil to make it more healthy)
8. Lemon juice - few drops
9. fresh cream for garnishing (optional)

Procedure :-

• Wash, peel and dice the pumpkin into cubes 
• chop onions
• In a pan, add the butter / olive oil, bay leaf 
• Add the chopped onion, black peppers and fry for 3 minutes
• Add the pumpkin cubes, fry for a minute
• Add water and pressure cook it for a whistle 
• strain and save the stock. cool the vegetable, remove the bay leaf and puree the vegetable.
• Transfer the puree to a vessel, add the stock and bring to boil adding salt
• remove from fire, add few drops of lemon juice, mix it
• Serve hot garnishing with fresh cream

Enjoy the winter with a cup of soup each day.