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This easy instant pot pumpkin curry and chicken soup recipe combine the warm flavors of Thai curry with the comfort of pumpkin and the ease of the Instant Pot.
Background content: This is a great recipe for fall when the colors and temperatures are changing and the pumpkins everywhere make you hungry lol.
This was inspired by my other pumpkin recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing brussels sprout flambe side dish recipe for a yummy warm-me-up to help your body adapt to cooler weather. I was also inspired by my mother-in-law's rice soup and the way she cooks the protein on the side to add at the end.
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Ingredients
The ingredients are easy to find in the US and most countries, especially if you have Asian markets or amazon. I will link to the harder ingredients so you can pull them straight up in amazon and have them delivered if it helps.
- Minced Chicken Breast
- Carrots, Cubed
- Pumpkin Puree
- Minced Garlic
- Crushed Garlic
- Thai Red Curry Paste
- Shallots
- Coconut Milk
- Broth
- Onion
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Prep the ingredients and you'll be done in a breeze.
After chopping your ingredients, place the shallots, about half of the garlic, carrots, pumpkin puree, red curry paste, and broth in the instant pot. Shut the vent and cook on manual or sauté if your pot has no manual setting for 10 minutes.
After venting the instant pot, use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until smooth and turn the instant pot to the keep warm setting.
Heat a skillet or wok on medium-high until pipping hot. Add in a little oil if you like, but it's not necessary, stir fry some of the garlic and shallots for several seconds before adding the meat.
Serving; Scoop some of the soup into a bowl. Next, make sure to shake the coconut milk to an even consistency and add it into the bowl in a swirl pattern as much as possible for a nice aesthetic.
You can also use basil and sauteed mushroom strips as a topping like I did here. Or maybe pumpkin seeds, use your imagination 🙂
Once cooked through for a few minutes until 160 degrees, you will serve the chicken or whatever protein you choose, in the soup and top it with basil and or dehydrated pumpkin.
Add in the chicken, or whatever protein you like, and top with basil, dehydrated pumpkin, like you can buy at an Asian market, fried shallot, or whatever you want.
Hint: Make sure the skillet or wok is really hot before cooking the garlic, shallots and protein.
Substitutions
Make sure you are dialed into the people you are serving. Knowing how spicy they can take their food, or if anyone is vegan ensures no one is left eating microwaved hot dogs while everyone else enjoys a home-cooked meal.
- Protein - Instead of using chicken, I did it with mutton and it really hit my button. You can also use impossible meat products, ground pork, tofu, or whatever you want for the protein.
- Red Curry Paste - use any kind of curry paste, they will all add different flavor profiles. If you're a hardcore fan of one, try it. I went with red because it compliments the color of the pumpkin. I have made it a few times with different pastes and liked it. each time. Here's a link to a variety pack of maesri curry, our favorite brand, so you can try it a few different ways. You can also make your own from scratch to maximize flavor.
- Vegetarian - Use beyond beef, or something similar, and make sure to use vegetable stock for your broth.
Variations
Use your imagination to make this more interesting. Here are some ideas if you don't have any.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or double the amount of curry paste.
- Deluxe - add double onions, shallots and garlic and several types of meats.
- Kid friendly - add crushed potato chips or bacon on top.
Equipment
We love our Instant Pot. If you don't have one, here is a link to one on amazon, that is an affiliate link, which helps us pay for our website expenses.
I also use an immersion blender for this recipe. We got a stainless steel farberware one at Walmart. Here is a similar one from Master Chef, again on amazon with an affiliate link to help us pay our expenses.
Storage
You can mix it all together and freeze it for a long time or refrigerate it and actually get a bit more flavor out of it as it marinates a bit longer.
These ingredients do stand up well to freezing for X several months.
Top tip
Having some festive decor and toppings makes this feel like an especially special recipe for the holiday season. We bought several decorative pumpkins, dehydrated pumpkin flakes from Thailand, cooked pumpkin seeds and dehydrated basil to compliment the rich orange and green colors.
Easy Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry and Mutton Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
- 1 Immersion Blender
- 1 Skillet, wok or pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb lamb minced or ground
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 1 cup carrots cut into cubes
- 4 tablespoon garlic fresh, divided, half minced and half crushed
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 cups light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon red curry paste fresh if possible for the most vibrant flavor flav.
- ½ cup onion Chopped
- 3 cups Low sodium vegetable broth Or whatever kind you want
Instructions
- Prep all the ingredients per the instructions above.
- After chopping your ingredients, place the shallots, about half of the garlic, carrots, pumpkin puree, red curry paste, and broth in the instant pot. Shut the vent and cook on manual or sauté if your pot has no manual setting for 10 minutes.
- After venting the instant pot, use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until smooth and turn the instant pot to the keep warm setting.
- Heat a skillet or wok on medium-high until pipping hot. Add in a little oil if you like, but it's not necessary, stir fry some of the garlic and shallots for several seconds before adding the meat.
- Once cooked through for a few minutes until 160 degrees, you will serve the mutton or whatever protein you choose, in the soup and top it with basil and or dehydrated pumpkin.
- Serving; Scoop some of the soup into a bowl. Next, make sure to shake the coconut milk to an even consistency and add it into the bowl in a swirl pattern as much as possible for a nice aesthetic.
- Add in the chicken, or whatever protein you like, and top with basil, dehydrated pumpkin, like you can buy at an Asian market, fried shallot, or whatever you want. Taste and season more or add more meat to your liking.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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