Pumpkin Rice Laksa Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves picked and stalks chopped
2 chile peppers, seeded and finely sliced
1 teaspoon lime zest, or to taste
3 stalks lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed
2 (2 inch) pieces fresh ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as desired
1 white onion, finely sliced
1 (1 1/2 pound) pumpkin - peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup basmati rice
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 lime, juiced, or more to taste
1 fresh green chile pepper, sliced (optional)
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut, or to taste (optional)

Preparation

Reserve cilantro leaves for garnish. Place cilantro stems in a food processor and add chile peppers, lime zest, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, five-spice powder, and cumin. Blend to a pulp; remove and discard any stringy bits and transfer mixture to a high-sided skillet. Add olive oil and white onion. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 10 minutes.
Add pumpkin and broth to the skillet. Stir around, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pumpkin is soft, about 15 minutes. Add rice and stir well so that pumpkin gets mashed up a bit. Cover and simmer until rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes more. Add coconut milk and season with salt and pepper. Stir in lime juice to taste. Garnish with reserved cilantro leaves, green chile pepper, and grated coconut.