‘A well spent day brings happy sleep’ – Leonardo da Vinci
This is a soup that I love to have when I get home in the evening. It is easy on the digestion, satiating and promotes a good night’s sleep.
Pumpkins have long been used as a natural sedative, due to the relatively high content of magnesium and potassium as well as tryptophan which is known to aid in the production of serotonin.
Sweet potatoes also help with sleep, due to containing two micronutrients, magnesium and zinc, that work synergistically to create melatonin, as well as being a complex carbohydrate, which helps in the production of serotonin.
From an Ayurvedic stand-point, this soup helps both Pitta and Vata Dosha’s through the sweetness and grounding. I have also added some classic digestion promoting spices. The soup is also good for Kapha, but you may want to add some hot spice to counter the earth element of the ingredients with some fire. I mix in a jalapeno for Mr B, before serving, just to be on the safe side.
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin
- 1 large onion, medium dice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder (optional)
- 1 litre/4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 Tbsp. ginger juice, from 1-inch ginger (ginger)
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
Method
- Peel your pumpkin. Cut your pumpkin in half, from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and guts. Chop into 1-inch pieces. Rough chop is fine.
- If you don’t want to work with a whole pumpkin, feel free to substitute with cubed pumpkin or butternut squash.
- Add 2 tbsp oil to a large pot, heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Sweat for 5 minutes or until transparent.
- Add the garlic, mix and saute for 20 seconds. Add the sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Mix.
- Add all of the spices and mix, let cool for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable stock. The mix should be covered, if it isn’t, add some water.
- Bring to the boil and then down to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are soft enough to put a knife through. C. 30 minutes.
- Stir the ginger juice in, if using. Wait for the mixture to cool and use an immersion blender to puree to a smooth texture.
- Sprinkle with some coriander to serve.
