Pumpkin Coconut Chowder with Shrimp

November makes me want to play around with certain fall ingredients like canned pumpkin puree. I know I could make my own puree, but sometimes it really just seems to make sense to buy canned pumpkin puree. I used part of a can last week to make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (very yummy cookies) which I will blog about soon. I used most of the rest of the can for tonight's dinner which inspired me to choose this recipe. The other part of the choice for tonight's dinner is that I am still not quite feeling up to par and a soup sounded perfect. This soup is really a play on a Thai inspired dish with the addition of canned pumpkin thrown in the mix.

I also made Honey Yeast Rolls to go along with the soup so that I can start testing roll recipes before Thanksgiving. These rolls didn't quite bake up the way I hoped according to the recipe and I thought they were a little too sweet. I could bake them in a different way which would solve one problem but I still think they were a little too sweet. I have several more recipes to try out before the big day, so I'm not too worried.


Here are all the colorful ingredients lined up for tonight's dinner.




Pumpkin Coconut Chowder with Shrimp
Adapted from Perry's Plate blog



1 tablespoon Canola oil
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup chicken, vegetable, or seafood broth
1 cup shredded carrot (about 1 large)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup 1/2-inch diced potato (any kind will do, including sweet potatoes)
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 14 or 15 ounce can of coconut milk (the real stuff, not light)
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
6-8 ounces uncooked shrimp, thawed, tails removed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Creme Fraiche (optional for garnish)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and ginger. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes until the shallots are tender. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the shrimp and cilantro). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add the shrimp and cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Cook until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Serve hot and garnish with more fresh cilantro, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), Thai sweet chili sauce or Creme Fraiche.