Went to supermarket looking for fruits to decorate my cake found pumpkin pieces and since I have leftovers plums, I decided to add in. I change the spices as I love to explore the various spices with my soup.
Google: “Okra looks like a thick, long green pod. (It’s been nicknamed “ladies’ fingers” in some parts of the country.) The veggie is chock-full of vitamins and minerals like vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium and potassium,” added to this delicious soup with chili pesto okra for Winter sure warm you up.
I have made chili pesto about 5 days ago, though it just enough to add to the okra my mom gave me some about 6 okras. It’s not cheap to get but she loves it so she got it and gave me some. I am adding chili pesto okra as I am a chili lover, got to have chili. Let’s cook spicy soup for dinner!!!!
Ingredients
700 g pumpkin pieces 3 plums, deseed, cut into pieces 200 g yoghurt, divided 1 small onion, remove skins and cut into pieces 1 Tbs garlic powder 1 Tbs Italian seasoning 1 Tsp masala mint powder 1 Tsp paprika powder 1 Tsp salt pepper oil water
Chili pesto okra
6 okras, wash, cut diagonally 1 Tbs oil 1 Tbs garlic minced salt pepper 4 long red chili, seeded cut into bite size 2 small birds eye chili, seeded (OPT) 5 cloves garlic 3 shallots 15 g pine nuts, toasted slightly 30 g parmesan 180 g sundried tomatoes 135ml olive oil 1/4 handful parsley 2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar 1/2 Tbs lemon juice 1-1 1/2 Tsp salt black pepper
Garnish
Chili pesto okra pumpkin pieces chili flakes
Method
To do in advance chili pesto
Put everything and use only oil 125 ml, salt 1 Tsp first and 1/4 Tsp first black pepper into Nutri bullet and blitz. Do stop and scrape down sides after a few seconds. Taste for saltiness and peppery, if not enough add the remaining salt and black pepper. Once done to your liking, spoon with dry clean spoon to sterilised jar filled with 10 ml of oil.
Store in a sterilised jar make sure its lid is tightly secure. This pesto can be stored in fridge for about 1-2 weeks. Mine I had use 1/4 already in 5 days. I put chili pesto in my curry, noodle soup, even had it like jam on toast bread with butter.
The next day
Preheat oven 180 degrees C. Mix well Italian seasoning, salt, all the spices and garlic powder in a small bowl, set aside for later. Put a pot of salted and oil water on medium heat and add in pumpkin pieces. Cook until tender. Remove from hob use slotted spoon take out pumpkin and set aside to cool about 10 minutes.
After it had cool down, take some pieces out onto a bowl for garnish. The remaining pumpkin place in an oil foiled on tray, season with spices and bake it for about 20-25 minutes until brown and lightly char. Once done, switch off oven. Bring out to cool for about 15 minutes. Then put half pumpkin, onion and plum in Nutri Bullet with some water and 2 Tbs yoghurt; blend till puree smooth. Do it in batches.
Transfer pureed pumpkin mixture to a pot, add remaining yoghurt and about 1/2 c water, bring it to simmer, stirring occasionally, checking the consistency: if too thick add another 1/4 c water. Check seasoning, add pepper to taste. Meantime, heat oil in saucepan over medium high heat, add okra and toss around in oil for 1 minute. Now add 1 Tbs chili pesto and stir to mix well. Cook stirring until okra is cooked through about 3 minutes. Transfer to a deep plate and keep warm.
Once pumpkin plum soup done ladle some onto bowls and add boiled pumpkin pieces, chili pesto okra and chili flakes for me. Reheat pumpkin pieces if it had gone cool before adding to soup. Enjoy with a buttered toast bread and a glass of red wine.
Note: You can omit bird eyes chili just use long red chilies will do. To keep your okra at its freshest, be sure to put it in the fridge once you get home. You can cook okra with less spicy sauce like tom yum or with tomato paste or curry. You can omit chili pesto if you want add other green vegetables of your choice.
helenscchin's Blog 
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