Look at this creamy coconut kale and pumpkin bisque… What a hearty autumn soup this is! The idea behind this autumn bisque recipe surprisingly comes from a lovely Malaysian island by the name of Penang!
Really?
So apart from the coconut milk, what’s the Asian influence behind it?
Coconut Milk
A couple of years ago the hubs and I stayed in Penang for about 5 weeks. Do you know Penang? What do you think of when you hear about Malaysian cuisine?
You probably have heard of nasi lemak before, a traditional Malaysian breakfast. Does that ring a bell? Rojak perhaps? Eggs belanda?
No worries.
Before we went there, I didn’t know a thing about Malaysian food. But that changed after being there just a couple of days. That’s when we came in touch with Nyonya cuisine.
Nyonya
We frequently went to this great Nyonya restaurant in Georgetown.
Gosh, the food is so good. And so different! One of the dishes that we would ordered practically every time, was a dish by the name of Huan Chu Heok Masak Lemak or sweet potato leaf curry.
Easy Pumpkin Bisque with Coconut Milk & Kale
Now let me tell you that sweet potatoes are not all that hard to find around where I live.
You can find them everywhere. However I have never seen any sweet potato leaves on sale here before! And that made me think of a worthy alternative.
So let’s see if I can come up with a Western version of this potato leaf curry!
Pumpkin and kale seemed like a good choice. You can also use spinach instead of kale or even savoy cabbage. What a delectable creamy coconut and pumpkin bisque soup it was in the end!
Are you looking for a more classic squash soup?
Then also check out my squash soup recipe with croutons!
Enjoy!
Easy Pumpkin Bisque with Coconut Milk Recipe
Coconut kale and pumpkin bisque, a hearty autumn soup! This pumpkin bisque is based on a stunning Nyonya dish I tasted in Penang (Malaysia).
- 10,5 oz fresh kale or savoy cabbage (350 g)
- 1 lb fresh pumpkin (450 g)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 2- inch fresh ginger (5 cm), grated
- 2 cloves
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cups coconut milk (480 ml)
- vegetable oil
- pepper
- salt or fish sauce
- Peel the pumpkin and dice it up into small cubes. Peel the garlic cloves and the red onion. Chop them up finely. Pour a little vegetable oil in a medium pan. Add the clove, the freshly grated ginger, the chopped garlic and the red onion and place the pan over medium-high heat.
- Gently fry the ingredients in the hot oil for 4 minutes. Then add half of the diced fresh pumpkin. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt (or fish sauce like I did).
- Stir the pumpkin and gently bake it for 5 minutes. Stir regularly. Then pour in the coconut milk. Also add half of the brown sugar.
- Stir the ingredients and put a lid on the pan. Bring the soup to a good boil and then turn the heat lower. Let the coconut soup simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pumpkin starts to fall apart and kind of gives the soup a bright orange color. Then blend or mix the soup with a stick mixer.
- Then add the rest of the diced pumpkin.
- Put the lid back on the pan and simmer the soup for 5 more minutes. In the meantime chop up the kale (or savoy cabbage). Add it to the soup.
- Cook for another 5 minutes or until the diced pumpkin you added last is tender but still keeps its shape. Then check the seasoning and add extra brown sugar, pepper or salt (or fish sauce) to taste if necessary.
- Scoop the coconut soup into bowls and serve hot.
