Curried Pumpkin Soup

This is a bit of different soup to my usual ones.  I always go for English style of soup with just vegetables and stock .  This time I made with a combination of lentils and pumpkin with some mild spices.  I would have left just with lentil and pumpkin and made it like a Indian style sambhar,  but since I was looking for a rich smooth consistency, I pureed it after cooking .

The type of lentils which I have used is moongdhal.  In India Moongdhal is generally used for making dhal soup, kootu curry( dry curry), for porridge and also for halwas. Moongdhals are rich source of carbohydrates, fibre and protein. Moongdhal marries well with pumpkin, particularly when it is pureed, the consistency of the soup is perfect with crusty rolls and you'll love the flavours in it.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Pumpkin- 200 gms
Moong dhal- 100 gms
Onion- 1 medium sized roughly chopped
Potato- 1 medium sized( peeled and chopped)
Vegetable stock- 300 ml
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Garlic- 3 pods chopped
Coriander leaves or parsley- 3 stalk finely chopped
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt  and pepper to taste

Method:
Wash the moong dhal and add it to the pressure cooker along with peeled and chopped pumpkin, potatoes, onion, stock, half of coriander leaves and spices.  You can add more water if you want a thin consistency of the soup. Pressure cook it for upto 3 whistles.  Let it cool down for a while, then puree it in a blender.
In another heavy bottom pot or pan , add oil, finely chopped garlic then pureed mixture .  Add salt and pepper for taste.  Let it simmer for 5 minutes.  If the soup looks too thick , you can add some water to make it liquidy.  Add chopped coriander leaves on top and serve with crusty rolls.

This can be made easily with less techniques so I'm linking this with my own event Any One Can Cook and for Souper Sundays, also linking this to Treat To Eyes: Series 2 by Spice your senses