Easy Thai Pumpkin Coconut Soup Recipe (2024)

Darlene Schmidt

Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.

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Updated on 07/1/21

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Ingredients

6 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, minced
3 leaves makrut lime, left whole
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece galangal, grated or sliced thinly into matchsticks
1 fresh red chile pepper, sliced
3 cups pumpkin, peeled, cut into bite-size chunks
2 cups yam, peeled, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 to 1/2 (13.5-ounce) canthick coconut milk
1 to 2 cups cubedtofu
1 large handful baby spinach
Sprig fresh basil, for garnish
Sprig fresh cilantro, for garnish
Cooked rice, for serving

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
In a large pot over high heat, add the chicken stock.
Add the lemongrass (plus leftover stalk if using fresh lemongrass), the makrut lime leaves, shallot, garlic, galangal, and chile pepper. Bring to a boil.
Add the pumpkin and yam. Reduce heat slightly and gently boil for 6 to 7 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, add the spices and flavorings, stirring with each addition: turmeric, ground coriander and cumin, fish sauce, shrimp paste, brown sugar, and lime juice.
When the pumpkin and yam are soft enough to eat, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the coconut milk; start with 1/3 can and increase to 1/2 can, depending on how creamy you want the soup. Stir well, taste-test, and adjust the salt and spice to your preference.
Just before serving, add the soft tofu and spinach and gently stir it into the soup (the spinach will wilt instantly).
Portion out into bowls and top with fresh basil and cilantro. This soup is usually served with rice on the side, but it could also be served with noodles. Serve and enjoy!

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Tips

For a more gourmet-style soup put the finished soup in blender and blitz before serving. This makes for a creamy-wonderful soup.
Don't be tempted to omit the fish sauce and shrimp paste—they may have a pungent aroma but they make for wonderfully-flavored soup!

Recipe Variations

No fresh lemongrass? Prepared lemongrass can also be found bottled or frozen and you can use the same amount.
In place of the makrut lime leaves, add 1 teaspoon lime zest.
Use 1/4 cup minced purple onion if you don't have a shallot.
Ginger is an excellent substitute for galangal and is rather easy to find in the average grocery store.
Instead of red chile pepper, use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chile pepper or 1 to 2 teaspoons chili sauce.
Squash can be used in place of pumpkin and sweet potato is a good substitute for the yam.
If you don't have shrimp paste, add an extra tablespoon of fish sauce.
Replace the tofu with chickpeas or cooked shrimp.

How to Adjust the Soup's Flavor

When taste-testing the soup, you can use certain ingredients to adjust the flavor to your liking:

Add more fish sauce if it's not salty or flavorful enough (this will depend on the saltiness of your stock).
Add more lime juice if it's too salty or sweet.
Add a little more brown sugar if it's too sour.
Add a bit more chile pepper to make it spicier.
Add coconut milk if it's too spicy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
750	Calories
30g	Fat
90g	Carbs
41g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2to 3
Amount per serving
Calories	750
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g	38%
Saturated Fat 16g	79%
Cholesterol 18mg	6%
Sodium 2391mg	104%
Total Carbohydrate 90g	33%
Dietary Fiber 12g	45%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 85mg	424%
Calcium 711mg	55%
Iron 14mg	80%
Potassium 3004mg	64%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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