I had lunch earlier this week at Kaleishia Tea House. They had a lovely vegan Pumpkin Soup on the menu. I made my own lighter version with shrimp:

I omitted the coconut milk from the original recipe. I didn’t have sweet potato or chickpeas on hand. If you do Weight Watcher’s it’s only 1 point per serving. If you’re not concerned about the calories add a 1/2 cup of coconut milk and a cup 1/2 inch cubed sweet potato with the broth in step 4. Test the sweet potatoes for tenderness before adding the shrimp and zucchini and adjust the simmering time as needed.

This is medium spicy, adjust the curry paste to your taste. I serve mine over some steamed rice.

• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon light sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 3 cups Fat-free vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon of red Thai curry paste, adjust to taste
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 12oz. of large peeled and deveined shrimp
• 2 tablespoons of Thai basil, chiffonade sliced
• Lime wedges

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Serves 4

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger in the sesame oil over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the fish sauce and let it cook off for 1-2 minutes. I strongly suggest you use your range-hood, it’s a bit smelly, but does add a nice bit of Asian umami flavor.
3. Add the vegetable broth, canned pumpkin, curry paste, and saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp and zucchini, simmer for 5 minutes or until the shrimp look done. Remove from heat to prevent the shrimp and zucchini from overcooking.
5. Garnish with chiffonade sliced Thai basil and serve with a wedge of lime. Serve immediately.

Chiffonade just means rolled and thinly sliced. If you need a chiffonade how-to:

Knife Skills: Cutting a Chiffonade of Basil