Caribbean Saturday Soup

Steps

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1. 1
   Preheat the oven. Carefully cut and deseed the pumpkin, reserving one quarter for roasting as a garnish and three quarters for the soup. Oil a roasting tin, place pumpkin flesh-side down, and roast until soft and caramelized to bring out its natural sweetness.
   ▶ ≈1:15
2. 2
   In a separate pot, cook the yellow split peas in water until very soft, then drain. Cooking them separately prevents their starch from overwhelming the soup's other flavors.
   ▶ ≈2:19
3. 3
   Prepare the soup base by roughly chopping onions, garlic, ginger, and fresh turmeric. Slice the lemon and carefully remove all seeds to prevent bitterness.
   ▶ ≈3:10
4. 4
   Heat olive oil in a large pot and add the onions, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and curry spices. Cook until fragrant, then add the lemon slices and allow them to caramelize slightly.
   ▶ ≈3:35
5. 5
   Once the pumpkin is completely roasted and soft, scoop the flesh into the pot. Add the coconut milk and mix everything together until well combined.
   ▶ ≈4:26
6. 6
   Blend the soup mixture until smooth using an immersion blender or food processor. Optionally keep one or two lemon slices in for extra citrus flavor, or remove them. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
   ▶ ≈4:50
7. 7
   Prepare the ground provisions by peeling and cutting cassava, yam, sweet potato, regular potatoes, corn, and carrots into bite-sized pieces that fit easily on a spoon.
   ▶ ≈5:41
8. 8
   Add the roasted pumpkin pieces, cooked yellow split peas, root vegetables, and scotch bonnet pepper to the soup. Simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy, maintaining textural variety.
   ▶ ≈6:44
9. 9
   Prepare the plantain garnish by peeling a very ripe (dark-skinned) plantain and cutting it into small cubes. These can be served alongside or on top of the soup as a sweet complement.
   ▶ ≈7:23
10. 10
    Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish generously with fresh spring onions, plantain pieces, and a drizzle of homemade chili oil. The soup will thicken naturally. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
    ▶ ≈8:12