A creamy soup made from butternut or Hokkaido squash with fennel and warming spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Lemon juice adds freshness, and pumpkin seed oil with sesame brings out the flavor.
- Category
- soup
- Portion
- 350 g
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Nature (TCM)
- warming
- Nature (Ayurveda)
- vata ↓ · pitta °
TCM: Pumpkin is warming, and warming spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) support the digestive fire.
Ayurveda: Sweet, warming and grounding; served warm it calms vata, and the spices support digestion.
Ingredients
Soup (about 3.5 kg finished soup)
- Butternut or Hokkaido squash (cleaned weight) – 1.8 kg
- Fennel bulb (1 large) – 400 g
- Onion (1 large) – 200 g
- Oil (olive or canola) – 60 ml (4 tbsp)
- Water or vegetable stock – 2.3 l
- Lemon juice (from 1–2 lemons) – 40 ml
- Salt – 15 g (2½ tsp)
- Ground black pepper – 2 g (½ tsp)
Spices (combined)
- Nutmeg – 1 g (¼ tsp)
- Ground coriander – 3 g (¾ tsp)
- Ground cloves – 0.5 g (a pinch)
- Ground cinnamon – 1 g (¼ tsp)
- Crushed fennel seeds – 1 g (¼ tsp)
To finish
- Pumpkin seed oil – 30 ml (about 3 tbsp)
- Black and white sesame seeds – 20 g (for sprinkling)
Method
The base
- Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut it into cubes. Finely chop the fennel and onion.
Sautéing
- Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion and fennel and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the spices and let them bloom briefly.
Simmering
- Add the squash, pour in the stock and simmer over low heat for 20–25 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
Blending
- Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender. If it is too thick, add a little stock.
Seasoning
- Add the salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Stir briefly and let the flavors come together.
Finishing
- Before serving, sprinkle with the mix of black and white sesame seeds and drizzle with pumpkin seed oil.
Serving
Serve warm (about 350 g per portion) with crusty bread or as a starter; it looks beautiful with drops of pumpkin seed oil on the surface.
Key ingredients
- Pumpkin
- Sweet, gentle and easy to digest; beta-carotene and potassium.
- Cinnamon
- Stabilises blood sugar, warms, adds aromatic sweetness without sugar.
- Onion
- Prebiotic fibre for the gut flora, anti-inflammatory flavonoids.
- Sesame seeds
- Calcium, healthy fats and lignans; toasted, they add umami and depth.
Why it’s good for the body
- Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, fiber and minerals.
- Fennel has traditionally been used to support digestion and to soothe.
- Warming spices have traditionally been used to warm the body.
- Pumpkin seed oil and sesame are sources of healthy fats and antioxidants.
Traditional and functional notes on the ingredients — not medical claims.
Notes
- The soup tastes just as good reheated.
- You can soften it with a spoonful of coconut milk or yogurt.