12-14raw cashewssoaked in hot water atleast for 30 min
1tbspcilantro or parsleyfinely chopped
1-2wedgeslemon
Instructions
Make the Spiced Croutons
Pre-heat oven to 180 deg centigrade.
Place the cubed bread slices in a baking tray. Pour over the olive oil and crushed spices.
Massage the spices all over the cubed bread slices. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 min until the bread pieces turn golden brown. As oven temperatures vary, keep checking after 10 min to ensure the bread is not burning.
Make the Roasted Pumpkin Chickpea Soup
Roast the pumpkin / butternut squash in a preheated oven for 20 min after spreading the 1 tbsp olive oil and some sea salt on it.
While the pumpkin is roasting, in a large stock pot heat the olive oil. Add in the diced onions, bay leaf, black + green cardamoms and cinnamon stick. Saute for 2-3 min until the onions turn translucent.
Next add in the grated ginger , turmeric powder, ground cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt.
Once the spices are nicely coated , add in the cooked chickpeas and about half the vegetable stock. Cook for few minutes.
Once the pumpkin is roasted , remove from oven and cut into large chunks. Add in these chunks into the stock pot with the remaining vegetable stock. Cook for few minutes more.
If you have a hand blender, switch off the cooking and you can start to blend the soup in the stock pot itself. Otherwise use a normal blender (that lets you blends soup) - Pour over all the ingredients from the stock pot into it and blend.
Make the Toppings
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the spiced croutons and chopped parsley/cilantro
Separately blend the soaked cashew nuts with few spoons of water in a small blender jar to form a thick paste. Spoon over 1-2 tbsp cashew paste over the soup bowls.