You might remember that, a little while ago, I posted a soup called Potage St Germain. I made that vibrant green soup for my grandmother as a symbol and act of love, as my grandpa was (and still is) in hospital recovering from a six hour surgery, and I wanted grandma to have dinner on hand without having to worry about it. On the same day, I also whipped up this Thai Pumpkin Soup for my parents. It, too, was a symbol and act of love, as I wanted my parents to have a ready nourishing meal awaiting them at the end of a long day of driving to, from, and waiting in hospital rooms.
This is a soup to thank my parents.
To thank them for always taking care of their family, my family. To thank them for always taking care of me, whether through fixing my apartment’s plumbing, nagging me to buy their car but not nagging me about the fact that I haven’t actually sorted out the insurance or bought the car despite now acting like I own it*, dealing with me when I call at 11:30pm five nights in a row in various heightened emotional states, smiling back at me from the audience of my gospel performances, and hand-delivering to my work the packages that I keep getting sent to them because I don’t trust my suburb’s shifty-eyed-sticky-fingered postal workers.
(*See what I did there, parents? That’s called positive reinforcement. You just keep doing what you’re doing with the not-nagging.)
Yes, this soup had to convey quite a few complicated thoughts of gratitude. Just in case none actually got through while my parents were eating, I’ve also written this poem:
Dear Mum and Dad
You are my Mum and Dad.
I like that.
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Adapted from Iron Chef Shellie, who in turn procured the recipe from Australian Good Food Magazine July 2011. Oh, and I’m submitting this to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend Event!
- 900g butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped roughly
- 2 tb (40ml) olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 tb freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 heaping tablespoons (50g) Thai red curry paste (use a vegan version, if that’s what you’re going for)
- 2 1/3 cups (580ml) vegetable stock
- 270ml can coconut milk
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or sugar)
- sliced fresh chilli and lime wedges, to serve
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place pumpkin, carrot, and 1 tb oil in a baking dish, season, and toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and tender.
- Heat remaining oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, ginger, and garlic for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in curry paste and cook for one more minute, until fragrant.
- Add pumpkin, carrot, stock, and coconut milk, reduce heat to low, and simmer for ten minutes.
- Using a stick blender, puree mixture until smooth. Stir in maple syrup, and season.
- Serve with fresh chilli and lime, and perhaps some fresh herbs if you have them on hand. Deliver unto your cherished ones with love and hugs. Awwwwww!
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
That is so sweet! And the soup sounds incredible. I wish I had a Vitamix so I could get soups that velvety smooth.
No Vita needed, my dear! This was done just with a stick blender
You have some lucky parents.
The soup looks and sounds incredible. It makes me crave fall weather!
I think I’m the lucky one
And you keep right on craving fall weather! Because when it gets cooler where you are, that means it’ll be warmer here. Hurrah!
Hannah, this is not only one hell of a delicious soup you made there, but also a wonderfully written post. It’s good to be reminded that parents need pampering, too every once in a while. I hope you’re grandpa is on his way to a full and speedy recovery!
Oh Karen, thank you! I’m so short on time at the moment that I’ve been fearing my writing is slipping; your comment has made me rather happy as a result! My grandpa is on his way to recovery, but unfortunately it’s going to be slow rather than speedy. I’m sure he’ll get there though
Haha! I love your poem the best!
Soup looks delish, girl!
I’m angling for Poet Laureate next
Isn’t it amazing how we can expres love by the means of food? Your soup looks so wonderful to me … (minus the coconut milk, as I have to confess, because I’m really not fond of anything that tastes like coconut.)
I hope you granddad will be recovered soon!
I used to be like you, Kath, but I’m slowly coming around to coconut. A little bit!
And thank you! I’ll pass that on to my family
A perfect winter warmer!
Wishing your grandad a speedy recovey xx
Thank you so much Lisa. Unfortunately we’ll be needing that for my grandma soon too! :S
I am sure your parent’s enjoyed this soup – how could they not, with such a wonderful ingredient list and all the care and love you put into it? Beautiful, beautiful post. I also like the positive reinforcement message
I am sorry, though, to hear your Grandpa is still in hospital. I hope he’s healing and feeling better :-/
Thank you Kari. I’m so honoured that this means something to anyone other than my parents!!
He is healing, it’s just very slow. But for a 91 year old who’s undergone a six hour surgery, he’s pretty amazing!
oh i have all these ingredients, think i may make this tonight! Not too hot though.
Baby hate’s chilli as much as I do! Thank God someone is normal in my family
Teehee! You, your bub, and my dad could all join together in being chilli-averse
Mum and I will eat your excess chilli! 
Oh yum!
I love how you express your love through food, and in particular soup. Soup is AWESOME – especially in OMG so-bleeping-cold weather like we are having (I am still bitter from being torn away from my sundrenched beaches. You so couldn’t tell lol).
I made a pumpkin soup on Monday for dinner, but since I am a chilli-whore and I love Thai food – this recipe would give my pumpkin soup a kick in the hypthetical balls. (Coz if it had real ones then this soup is definitely NOT vegetarian
).
Am going to try this once I find a nice piece of pumpkin (is it weird that I nearly wrote nice piece of ass??).
Bahaha! Oh, my darling, the weather in Melbourne and Canberra this week has been positively balmy. You simply would not have survived a month ago
(To be honest, I barely survived myself…)
Vegetarian or not, I would be very nervous about eating soup with balls. Soup with chilli though? The best kind
And lastly…. *laughs and laughs and laughs*
The secret ingredient here really is love. This is a gorgeous post, it is so nice to recognise our parents for all the wonderful things they do for us and I’m sure your parents were nourished both physically and spiritually by this lovely soup.
I truly, truly hope so. Thank you so much, Lisa.
lol i love that poem
soup looks delicious!!
x
I love your soup!
Thank you for the recipe, my friend.
Will you buy my book of poetry when I publish it, though?
That is the most beautiful poem I’ve ever read ha ha! I’m sure they like being your parents too. Who wouldn’t when they get to come home to soup like that? Wishing your grandpa well. x
*bows* I try.
Thanks so much, Keely
Aren’t you the sweetest daughter!?
Now I’d better not show my parents this or they might ask for it 
Teehee, I think you’ve surely baked your parents enough exquisite desserts that they’d much prefer keeping you on hand rather than requesting a simple pumpkin soup from me
Well the soup sounds wonderful, but everything that went before it was so sweet. Looks like you definitely lucked out, parent-wise.
Thank you, Laura. I’m rather certain I did
No no no – don’t mention the car and the 11.30pm calls on the blog or your mum will have printed proof and you will never be able to deny them years from now (because that is what kids do when they get a bit older)
But at least you will be able to remind them also that you made them wonderful soup which sounds like great comfort
Uh oh…. you’re right, I should’ve written that I’ve already bought the car, then maybe they’d have become confused and believed me
We’re not THAT old! And not-nagging does have a use-by date! (See folks, we’ve not perfect!)
Lovely post Hannah … about as lovely as the soup which was indeed much appreciated, not only because you made it but also because it tasted great. (BTW Your Dad is not exactly chilli averse, he just doesn’t like it in the same quantity).
Yes, yes you are perfect. Also, Agnes believes that because it’s now been three months and I still haven’t had a birthday dinner (or my main present, but arguably that’s half my fault…), you really should just give me the car. INFALLIBLE ARGUMENT.
P.S. I know Dad’s not actually against chilli, but it got too complicted trying to explain the nuances of our relative chilli tolerances in the comment
Birthday dinner, what birthday dinner? As for the rest … no comment!
That’s exactly what I’ve been asking myself!
Mmmm…that soup looks fabulous! I love how smooth and creamy it looks. *swoon*
No joke, this sounds like perfection in a bowl. I love all of these flavors and ingredients… As soon as it cools down a bit more, this is the first recipe on my fall cooking list!
Oh Hannah, that’s so wonderful to hear! And not just because the world getting cooler where you are means the world getting warmer where I am
Beautiful sentiment Hannah
And this recipe is going on my to make list. Yum!
It is rather lovely! And no egg-adaptations needed
I love Thai food AND pumpkin!
Double win!
I love pumpkin soup and this version looks wonderful!
Thank you Lauren!
wow, this soup looks delicious! you go hannah! i would love to eat this with a bowl of freshly steamed brown rice!
Oooh, that would be lovely! I haven’t had brown rice in I-don’t-know-how-long….
Awww, how sweet! What a lovely daughter you are
It’s really great to hear you’ve got such a great relationship with your parents/family.
Thank you, April
I kind of love ‘em all like crazy. 
nawww so sweet <333 !
What a heart-warming soup! Also, that poem is ace – says all the important things I want to say to my parents, too!
You have my permission to read my poem out to your parents, but I expect royalties
x
Oh okay.. Thanks (Hannah’s) Mum and Dad.. we kind of like her and would like to keep her
Teehee! SQUISH! xo
Hello
You have awesome parents. This must be part of the reason you are so awesome too (only part because the main part is that you are just awesome because you are you).
I just adore you sometimes.
Sounds positively delicious and warming through and through. As we rapidly approach winter squash season, I’ll look forward to making this sunshine-colored soup when there is no other sunshine anywhere to be seen.
Only you could speak of winter’s greyness in such a poetic way
xo
You know how else this soup says “I love you” to your parents? You took the time and energy to heat the ingredients and turn them into a delicious COOKED soup. That’s love.
It really, really is love. I may or may not have tried to convince my dad that he actually wanted the raw butternut pumpkin and orange soup I have a recipe for, but he wouldn’t take the bait.
(To be honest, I was slightly relieved. Even I think that recipe looks weird…)
Who knew you were a poet on top of all your other talents?!! And congrats on the new car! (heh heh).
The soup looks great. So many delicious ingredients living in harmony! It’s just the kind of thing I know I’d love. Bookmarked–and thanks so much for submitting it to WW this week.
Teehee! My mum wasn’t entirely impressed with my car ownership jokes
You’re more than welcome! I’m happy I just scraped in under the deadline
Sticky Fingers is my middle name. Or at least it’s my lifestyle. Are there any openings as a postal courier in your neighborhood?
Slowly making my way through all these posts I missed while away from the compy comp for a few weeks. It’s like reading a novel that I thought had ended (super sad face), when – hello – here are some previously undiscovered chapters (joyous face of delight)!
See, I wouldn’t even mind if you were the one stealing my chocolate, because at least I’d know you were capable of appreciating the nuances! Darn plebs stealing my fancypants goodies…
And aw!! You make me feel almost like a true novelist (one of my dreams in life)!
This soup is right up my alley. I do love a pumpkin soup. And it’s probably one that is still good even as the days are warming.
Absolutely! We’re definitely not into the so-swelteringly-hot-anything-warm-to-eat-is-nauseating weather yet!
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