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Hero shot of Japanese-style Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Surinagashi.
Japanese-style Pumpkin Soup (Pumpkin Surinagashi)
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

Japanese-style Pumpkin Soup looks very similar to Western-style pumpkin soups or French pottage. But the soup-base is dashi stock, and the soup does not contain oil or dairy products.

Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.

Recipe Type: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: cold soup, japanese soup, pumpkin recipe, pumpkin soup, vegetarian soup
Serves: 2
Author: Yumiko
Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)
Garnish
  • Chopped chives (note 5)
Instructions
  1. Cut the pumpkin into 2-2.5cm/1” cubes.

  2. Put the pumpkin pieces and dashi stock in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 7-8 minutes with a lid on, or until the pumpkin is cooked through (if a bamboo skewer can get through easily, it is done).

  4. Turn the heat off and let it cool slightly.
  5. Transfer the pumpkin with dashi to a blender. Purée until there are no pumpkin bits left and the liquid is smooth, then transfer the purée back to the saucepan (note 6).

  6. Add soy sauce, cooking sake, and half of the salt to the purée and bring it to a boil (note 7).

  7. Taste-test, add some more salt if required, and mix. Turn the heat off.

  8. If you are serving it cold, chill it in the fridge after it is sufficiently cooled down.
  9. Serve hot or cold in a serving bowl garnished with chopped chives in the centre.
Recipe Notes

1. I used Kent pumpkin which is also called J.A.P. (apparently abbreviated from Just Another Pumpkin, nothing to do with Japan) pumpkin, but you can of course use other species of pumpkin.

2. If possible, make dashi stock from scratch per my recipe Home-style Japanese Dashi Stock. It gives a better flavour to the soup.

Use konbu dashi or shiitake dashi to make it vegetarian.

3. I used shiro shōyu to preserve the vivid orange colour of the pumpkin purée. Usukuchi shōyu is also lighter than normal soy sauce. If you don’t have those, you can use normal soy sauce.

4. The amount of salt required depends on the final quantity of the soup as well as the type of soy sauce you use. Normal soy sauce is less salty than shiro shōyu and usukuchi shōyu.

5. Instead of chives, you can use chopped green onions, strips of blanched pumpkin skin, okra slices, etc. The green colour stands out in the orange-yellow purée.

6. If you are using a stick blender, you can purée the pumpkin in the saucepan. It means less washing!

7. The consistency of the soup is similar to Western-style pumpkin soup - not too thick, not too watery.

8. Nutrition per serving.

serving: 353g calories: 78kcal fat: 1.8g (3%) saturated fat: 0.5g (2%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g monounsaturated fat: 0.5g cholesterol: 2mg (1%) sodium: 838mg (35%) potassium: 806mg (23%) carbohydrates: 11g (4%) dietary fibre: 0.8g (3%) sugar: 5.2g protein: 6.2g vitamin a: 256% vitamin c: 23% calcium: 3% iron: 7%