Recipe Stories

Grandma's Pumpkin Soup

grandmas-pumpkin-soup

Pumpkin was plentiful in Manado that my grandma would add it into many of her cooking from clear soup, Manado porridge (Tinutuan, Bubur Manado) to Lodeh.

How did you learn to make your Grandma’s Pumpkin Soup?

This is a very simple dish that I saw my grandma made when I was about 8 or 9 years old. She was my first teacher in cooking, and I was helping out in her kitchen, as I often did then.

She used to roast the pumpkin, but I tend to steam it instead although roasting would actually bring out its sweetness better. So it would be worth a try for everyone who is going to prepare this soup.

 

Pumpkin soup is not a recipe that would have come from Manado. How did your grandmother come across this?

Pumpkin was plentiful in Manado that my grandma would add it into many of her cooking from clear soup, Manado porridge (Tinutuan, Bubur Manado) to Lodeh.

I am not sure where it really came from. It was perhaps something that my grandma had just created. After all, the Manadonese cuisine did take on various influences from Chinese, Spanish and Dutch cooking.

 

Pumpkin soup uses milk, but here it is replaced with coconut milk. Why is it, and how does it change the soup as familiarly known to people?

When I was little, only condensed and powdered milk were available. We only used them for sweet dishes, and rarely used it in savory dishes. Also, Manado was known for its coconut plantation. 

I actually think it was perfect to combine the pumpkin and the coconut milk. 

Watch Rasamasa Taste Ideas feats. Grandma’s Pumpkin Soup by Petty Elliott, @Rasamasa Channel Youtube.