Pumpkin and ginger soup – by Alfred Prasad

Ingredients
(Serves four)

250g pumpkin
1 onion, medium-sized
1 ginger root
1/2 bunch fresh coriander
20g butter
2 bay leaves
1tsp peppercorns
1 litre water
Salt
1tbs cream

Method
Peel and cut 250g of pumpkin into cubes. Peel and chop the onion and a one-inch-sized piece of fresh ginger and reserve.

Wash and chop the coriander leaves and stem and reserve separately.

Heat the butter in a pan, add the bay leaves, peppercorns, onions and ginger, and sauté for two minutes. Add the cubes of pumpkin, coriander stems and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pass the liquid through a chinois and transfer the liquid into a clean saucepan. Pick out the cubes of pumpkin using a fork, and discard the spices, onion and coriander stem.

Blend the cooked pumpkin with chopped coriander leaves and half a cup of the strained liquid in a food processor.

Reduce the strained liquid for a further five minutes, add the puréed pumpkin, bring to a boil once again and check seasoning.

Serve hot and garnished with a swirl of cream.

Alfred Prasad, head chef, Tamarind, London