Dukkah Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup has a reputation problem. Too many versions are thin and one note, blitzed straight from boiled pumpkin and stock with nothing left to actually chew on. It is the vegetable soup equivalent of beige.

This one fixes that with a genuinely simple trick. The pumpkin gets roasted properly first, and Australian Native Bush Dukkah goes in twice: once toasted into the base, and once scattered generously over every bowl. Cooked in, it deepens the whole pot. Scattered on top, it gives a smooth soup the crunch it usually lacks.

At a glance: Serves 6 | Prep 20 min | Cook 1 hr 30 min

Why most pumpkin soup goes flat

Two things usually go wrong. The pumpkin gets simmered or boiled straight into the pot, which is fast but throws away the caramelisation that roasting builds at the edges, and that caramelisation is where most of a roast vegetable's flavour actually lives. Then any spice in the recipe turns up as a cold garnish right at the end, dusted over a bowl that has already finished cooking, so it sits on top of the soup rather than becoming part of it.

This recipe does both differently. The pumpkin roasts hard enough to properly colour before it goes anywhere near the stock, and Australian Native Bush Dukkah gets stirred through the aromatics and cooked for two minutes before the pumpkin joins the pot, so its Macadamia, Almond and Pistachio pieces and native spices actually toast rather than just sit on top. That is the first hit. The second is a generous scatter of the same Dukkah over the finished bowl, added last so it keeps its crunch against the hot soup.

Dukkah pumpkin soup

Serves 6
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.3kg Jap pumpkin, cut into 4cm chunks
• 1 tablespoon (15g) Australian Native Bush Dukkah, plus extra to serve
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon (20g) butter
• 2 tablespoons (40ml) olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon (3g) Native Blend Pink Lake Salt, plus extra to season
• 1 cup (250ml) cream
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock, or vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan-forced (210°C conventional).
2. Toss the pumpkin in a roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the Pink Lake Salt. Roast for 30 minutes, until the edges are properly caramelised and starting to catch colour at the corners. Simmering the pumpkin straight in the pot will never get you this deep a flavour.
3. While the pumpkin roasts, finely dice the onion, celery, carrot and garlic.
4. In a large soup pot, melt the butter with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, celery and carrot. Keep the heat low and cook for 10 minutes more, until everything is soft and smells sweet rather than raw.
6. Stir the Bush Dukkah through the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. This is the first hit. The nuts and native spices toast in the pot, and a warm, nutty smell filling the kitchen is the sign it is working.
7. Add the roasted pumpkin and stir through for a minute or two to combine.
8. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then drop straight down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing catches on the bottom.
9. Take the pot off the heat and let it stand, lid off, for 15 minutes. Blending soup straight off a rolling boil is how you end up wearing it, so give it this cooling window first.
10. Blitz with a stick blender until completely smooth, or in batches in an upright blender with the lid vented to let steam escape.
11. Stir the cream through until fully combined.
12. Ladle into bowls and finish each one with a generous second scatter of Bush Dukkah. Serve with torn crusty bread and salted butter on the side, exactly what a cold night is asking for.

Getting the double hit right

The toasting step is the one to pay attention to. Two minutes is enough for the Dukkah's nuts and spices to bloom in the butter and oil without catching, so stir constantly and pull it off the heat the second it smells nutty rather than waiting for visible colour, which can tip into bitter fast.

Timing matters just as much for the second hit. Add the finishing scatter of Dukkah right before the bowl goes to the table, not while the soup is still in the pot. Sprinkle it in early and it softens into the same texture as everything else. Sprinkle it on at the very last second and it stays properly crunchy against the hot cream.

A swirl of extra cream under the Dukkah before it goes out is a small thing that makes every bowl look like it came from a restaurant kitchen rather than a Tuesday night.

Tips and swaps

• Our Bush Dukkah contains Macadamias, Almonds and Pistachios. Skip it, or swap in extra Native Blend Pink Lake Salt and a good grind of pepper, if you are cooking for nut allergies.
• Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and the soup is fully vegetarian, no other changes needed.
• No Jap pumpkin at the shops? Kent and butternut both caramelise well and blend just as smooth.
• Planning to freeze it? Stop before the cream goes in. Freeze the base, then stir the cream through fresh when you reheat it. It keeps the texture properly silky rather than grainy.

Storage

Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The soup base freezes well for up to 3 months, so long as you freeze it before adding the cream. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat gently, then stir the cream through and finish with the Dukkah scatter just before serving.

Shop the recipe

• Australian Native Bush Dukkah: toasted into the base and scattered over the top, it is the making of this soup.
• Native Blend Pink Lake Salt: seasons the roasting tray and finishes the bowl without overpowering the pumpkin.

If Dukkah earns a permanent spot in your pantry after this one, it does the same trick in our BBQ Roast Pumpkin and Zucchini with Bush Dukkah Marinade once the weather turns and the barbecue comes back out.