Miso shines a light on the earthy sweetness of the pumpkin, bringing to life this delectable miso pumpkin soup. The chorizo drizzle adds a sparkle that only spicy chorizo can.
Cut the tops off the pumpkins and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.
Smear some olive oil on the inside and outside of the pumpkins, place on a baking tray, and put in the oven. Roast for around 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin flesh is soft. Don’t overcook as the the skins will get too weak to hold the soup.
While the pumpkin is roasting, sauté the onion in a saucepan until soft, then add the garlic and ginger. Continue to sauté until fragrant, 3-4 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, half of the dashi, water, and diced carrot to the saucepan and bring up to a simmer.
Simmer until the carrot is soft.
When the pumpkins have cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool until they can be handled.
While waiting, cut up (or crumble) the chorizo into small pieces.
In a (small) skillet, sauté the chorizo until it has rendered some oil and is starting to brown.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Scoop out the the pumpkin flesh from the pumpkins, leaving enough around the walls to maintain their structure (about 5-8 mm). Add the pumpkin flesh to the saucepan. Set the pumpkin casings aside.
Using a hand blender, blend the contents of the saucepan until reasonably smooth. A little chunky is OK.
Stir the red miso into the other half of the dashi.
Add the miso and dashi, fish sauce, paprika, and chilli flakes to the saucepan and stir to combine.
Gently simmer for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to merge.
Check for seasoning, adding a little salt or more fish sauce if necessary.
Serve the soup in the pumpkin casings. Drop some chorizo on top together with a little of its red rendered oil.