Spicy Pumpkin Soup II

De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.

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Ingredients:

2tb Olive oil
1 medium-large onion, chopped
1 inch ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 birds eye chiles or Arbol*, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ package firm tofu, cubed
2 cups butternut squash, cubed
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk
¾ cup pumpkin puree
3 oz Chinese style dried farkay noodles**
2 cups greens***, washed and chopped

To Garnish:
Peanuts, chopped
Green onions, chopped

Instructions:

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add onion to pot, cook until translucent. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add the red pepper, tofu and squash. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, and pumpkin puree, stirring to combine. Bring soup to a boil, reduce to medium and simmer until the squash is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium sized pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add noodles to pot and cook according to package instructions. Drain noodles and set them aside.****

In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the chopped kale and continue cooking until it begins to wilt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, add the noodles and garnish with peanuts and green onions if desired.

*This makes a very spicy soup. Use 1-2 if you want a mildly spicy soup, or leave out entirely.

**Spaghetti noodles would be a good substitute.

***I used collard greens, but any type will do.

***Any leftover noodles should be stored separately from the soup, to avoid them soaking up the broth and becoming mushy.

Slightly adapted from a recipe from themakermakes.com