Beet and pumpkin soup with shrimp

This beet soup has Asian leanings which are easily identified by the use of lemon grass, ginger, oyster sauce and (optional) Madras curry powder. There is a bit of heat in it but it is ameliorated by the coconut milk. This beet and pumpkin soup is a meal in itself when accompanied by a sour dough, old-fashioned rye, or whole wheat bread.

Beet, pumpkin, parsley, ginger, lemon grass, and coconut milk

This beet soup recipe requires a slow cooker and a blender. 

                                                                               Yield: 4 small or 2 large servings

Ingredients: (all quantities are approximate)

3 cups of frozen chopped pumpkin

1 beet

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup beet stock or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce

1teaspoon finely chopped frozen lemon grass 

or 1 stalk fresh lemon grass, roughly  chopped

9 thin slices fresh ginger

4 - 5 sprigs of freeze-dried or fresh parsley, whole

¼ teaspoon brown sugar, packed

24 - 48 frozen, cooked shrimp, shelled, deveined

½ teaspoon Madras curry powder (optional)

Preparation:

1. Place chopped pumpkin into slow cooker. Set slow cooker on the "High" setting. 

2. Thoroughly scrub beet under running water. Peel. Chop into a small dice and add to pumpkin.

3. If fresh lemon grass is used, bruise and chop it into 5 cm. (2 in.) lengths, then add to the beet and pumpkin mixture. Otherwise, add sufficient frozen lemon grass to equal approximately 1 teaspoon.

4. Peel and finely slice ginger. Add to slow cooker along with coconut milk, stock, oyster sauce parsley and brown sugar. If using curry powder, now is the time to add it. Stir. Cover and leave to cook for about 2 hours, then reduce the heat to low for another hour.

Chopped beet and vegetables in coconut milk

5.  If fresh lemon grass was used, now is the time to fish out the chunks. Discard them. Either transfer the contents of of the slow cooker to a blender or use an electric hand-held blender stick to blend the contents into a thin puree. Return the puree to the slow cooker to reheat and keep it hot.

6. Defrost the shrimp.

7. Ladle the steaming soup into bowls and add ¼ or ½ of the defrosted shrimp to each bowl.

Beet and pumpkin soup with shrimp