logo left

Jamaican Pumpkin Soup

logo right
nuttys kitchen logo

Nutty's Jamaican Pumpkin Soup is no ordinary bowl of comfort — it's a cauldron of culinary chaos, blended into smooth velvety perfection! The roasted pumpkin, blackened at the edges like it's been kissed by the flames of mischief, oozes a deep, caramelised sweetness. But don't get too cosy — there's a fiery little Scotch Bonnet lurking in the pot, ready to slap your taste buds awake with its fruity heat! A riot of scallions, onions, and garlic join the madness, while a whisper of thyme keeps things just about civilised. Tender little bits of chicken dissolve into the mix, leaving behind pure, silky richness.

But here's the twist — pumpkins, those elusive orange beauties, only grace us once a year around Halloween. No need to weep into your empty bowl, though — happily, butternut squash steps in as a worthy substitute, bringing just as much warmth and sweetness to the madness 🎃🔥

Spoon in at your own risk — this soup is pure Nutty magic! Inspired by all those wondeful Jamaican take-aways that we have here in the UK, especially Mama's Kitchen of Hemel Hempstead that used to be - come back we miss you!

Click the Method tab below to see a step-by-step guide on how to make Jamacain Pumpkin Soup along with some pictures as a guide.

stock added to roasting dish

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 6 - 8

  • Roast pumpkin (sliced eighths) for about 1 hour
  • 3 Scallion - finely chopped
  • 1 Onion - finely chopped
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet - finely chopped
  • 1tsp Thyme
  • 5 Garlic - finely chopped
  • 1 Chicken breast (cut into very small pieces)
  • 1 - 2 OXO™ chicken stock cubes
  • plenty of water - about 1 - 1.5 litres

method

So gather your ingredients so that everything is to hand, it's so easy to miss something especially if you are a little nuts like me :-)

First things first, you need to tackle the pumpkin or butternut squash that you are using, I'll just refer to it as a squash from this point on as it really doesn't matter which you use. You'll need a large sharp knife and a bit of muscle power!

Carefully cut the squash into two pieces, avoid cutting through the stem as that is really hard. Next, take a spoon and scrape out all the seeds and fluffy bits from the center of the squash.

Once your two halves are cleaned out, cut each half into quarters. Place the quarters on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about an hour. You want the squash to be soft and slightly caramelised at the edges.

While the squash is roasting, you can get the rest of the ingredients ready and cooked

Make sure to use all of the scallion, white and green bits, as this is an important flavour in jamaican cooking roots. Foundation of flavour is all in the roots of the cuisine you're cooking. Not available or understandable from a box! Ya have to understand it and adjust it to your taste! Luckily I did that work! Authenticity in food is really important to me. That is why I am Nutty!

ingredients
ingredients
  1. place the pieces of squash on a baking tray / oven-dish
  2. drizzle with a little oil & a pinch of salt
  3. roast in a pre-heated oven @ 180°C for about an hour
  4. remove from the oven and allow to cool when lovely and soft with slightly caramelised, blackened edges.
roast the pumpkin
sliced pumpkin in oven dish
  1. finely chop the garlic, scallions, onion & scotch bonnet
  2. place the garlic in a slightly oiled med-hot pan
  3. stir fry until soft then add the rest of the chopped veg
  4. add 1 tsp salt
  5. saute until soft while stirring frequently so as not to brown the onions too much
saute the veg
veg frying
  1. move the veg to the edges of the pan
move veg to the edge!
fried veg around pan
  1. add the diced chicken to the pan and seal all over
seal the chicken
sealing diced chicken with veg
  1. combine the chicken with the veg when sealed
combine with the veg
diced chicken mixed with veg
add thyme & crumble in a stock cube
spices added to chicken and veg
  1. add thyme & crumble in a chicken stock cube
  2. put all everything into an oven top pan
  3. add enough water to cover everything and a bit more
  4. remove the cooled flesh of the squash from the skin & add to the pan
  5. stir & cook on a simmer for 10 - 15mins until the chicken is cooked
cover with plenty of water
stock added to roasting dish
  1. finally, blend the soup until smooth*
  2. taste the soup & season with salt to taste, this should balance the sweetness of the squash & enhance the flavour of the rest of the ingredients

*I use a metal stick blender, as the last time I used a plastic one, the plastic went soft and deformed with the heat. I couldn't use that blender again as the blades damaged any pan I tried to use it in! Ho! Hum! We live and learn :-) *Editor altered this; HE DID THAT! Nutty knows plastic and hot do not mix..*

Alternatively, carefully tip the soup into a blender and blitz until you have a silky smooth consistency.

Jamaican Pumpkin Soup
stock added to roasting dish

Sweet, smokey, herby flavours with an eye popping fruity heat that brings out a smile with every mouthful. It's one of those dishes that you first put into your mouth and think, that's a little sweet, then the rest of the flavours start popping out and dancing a merry riot on your taste buds :-) Enjoy the chaos!

A perfect start to a jerked chicken dinner or Jamaican curry with macaroni pie. Or, just to enjoy on its own as complete comforting happiness.