Basil Pumpkin Soup

We had recently been to this fantastic restaurant called Flags in Mumbai. Then we went to their branch in Poona and were sorely dissapointed with almost everything there. It was very strange how it was almost perfect and Bombay and completely sucked really big time in Poona :)... But that's another story and we will get into it later... We had a fantastic soup there... here is my variation...

Take 5 fairly big pieces of Orange Pumpkin (little more than half of it), peeled. 2 pieces dice small, the others cut into big chunky pieces.
A big bunch of fresh basil leaves roughly chopped, stems removed.
1 pod garlic finely chopped
1 bunch of lemon grass tied with a string
a dollop of fresh cream
Olive oil



In a pressure cooker, add olive oil, finely chopped garlic and cook till it browns. Add the basil leaves and salt to taste. Add the big pumpkin pieces and cook for a bit. Now take a big bunch of lemon grass and tie it with a string and pop into the cooker. Add water to cover everything and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.

While it is cooking, lightly saute the small pumpkin pieces with some olive oil, salt and basil leaves.

Let the cooker cool and then open it. Remove the lemon grass bunch from it. Whirr the mixture to a smooth consistency and then add the sauted pumpkin pieces to it. Cook for some time. Before serving nice n hot with toasted wholewheat bread and butter, stir in a dollop of fresh cream.

You may optionally add the juice of 1 lemon, if you like it still smore sour. It has a brilliant pumpkinny, lemony, basily taste which pleasantly surprizes the tongue... Witha anice cold salad it would make a perfect meal!

Cold salad tomorrow! :)

Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa