Tis the season for merry making, of gathering with loved ones from near and far and feasting to your heart’s content.

If you’re looking for the perfect menu to usher in some yuletide joy, chef Timothy Sebastian is here to help! With about two decades of culinary experience under his belt, Chef Tim is the owner of Hungry Bacon, a popular restaurant in Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya.

In the first of four HALAL recipes for “Tim Cooks: Christmas Edition”, here’s a roasted pumpkin soup that will only cost you a fraction of the price you’d usually pay at restaurants.

Want to know his secret behind a really creamy soup? Chef Tim roasts the pumpkin first, scoops out the flesh, and cooks it with some vegetables, garlic and parmesan cheese before blending and straining it!

The result? A soup that is hearty, nutty and velvety, perfect for warming your belly on a cold festive night – if we weren’t in hot and humid Malaysia, that is!

For the roasted pumpkin meat (Serving: approximately 800g)

• 2kg whole pumpkin

Method

• Wash and cut the pumpkin into half. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and cover the pumpkin with aluminium foil.
• Place the pumpkin on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 180°C for one hour or until the flesh is tender.
• Once tender, remove the foil and leave the pumpkin to cool.
• Finally, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, taking care to avoid including any skin.

For the soup (Servings: six portions of 250g each)

• 25g corn oil
• 25g sliced yellow onions
• 25g sliced celery
• 150g sliced carrots
• 15g peeled whole garlic
• 1 litre water
• 1 bay leaf
• 750g pumpkin
• 75g grated parmesan cheese
• 10g salt
• 3g truffle oil

Method

• In a large stock pot, heat up the corn oil. Next, sauté the yellow onions, celery, garlic and carrot slices on medium low heat until soft without them changing colour.
• Add the salt, water and bay leaf. Boil until the carrots are tender.
• Once the carrots are soft, gently add the roasted pumpkin and bring to a boil.
• Once boiled, add the grated parmesan cheese and bring to a boil again. The parmesan will add a really nice, rich, nutty and umami flavour!
• Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and blend the soup.
• Using a spatula, pass the soup through a strainer into another stock pot and return to a boil. This is a good time to check the consistency and adjust the seasoning.
• Once boiled, remove from heat and allow to cool before stirring in the truffle oil.
• Serve warm in your best Christmas bowls and enjoy!

Tips

• Roasted pumpkin flesh and soup can be kept chilled for three days or frozen for up to a month.
• To cool the pumpkin flesh or soup more quickly, use an ice bath.

‘Tim Cooks’ is sponsored by ChefHub, KitchenPlan, Hotelware Concept, and Visionary Solutions. 

Check back in tomorrow for Chef Tim’s recipe for roast chicken with gravy. To enjoy his food in person, head on over to:

Hungry Bacon [NON-HALAL]
33, Jalan SS21/56b,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Contact: 012-355 0857

This article was written by Sheela Vijayan @ FMT Lifestyle.