Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 14 oz can coconut milk
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 3 Tbsp Sriracha
• 3 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, pepitas

Directions

1. Use a fine-holed cheese grater to grate the ginger, or mince it very finely. Cut the onion into a fine dice, and mince the garlic. Warm the olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat, then cook the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion looks soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle in the cumin and crushed red pepper. Stir everything together and let the spices warm in the pot for about 1-2 minutes, just until lightly toasted.
3. Stir in the pumpkin purée and coconut milk until the mixture is even. Pour in the chicken broth and mix again, then raise the burner to medium so the soup can heat through. When it is hot, taste it and season with salt and pepper as you like; 1/4 tsp salt and 10 turns from a pepper grinder are a good starting point.
4. Rinse the cilantro, strip the leaves off the stems, and chop the leaves roughly. Right before you serve, stir in a handful of the cilantro. For a soup without onion pieces, blend it with an immersion blender before the cilantro goes in.
5. To finish, if you like, top each bowl with 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, a little Sriracha, and a scattering of pepitas.