How to Make David Tan of MasterChef’s ‘Sophisticated’ Pumpkin Soup

MasterChef Australia is back for another year, and we’re being treated to all manner of tasty treats and clever cooking hacks. One MasterChef recipe that has really stood out to us, however, is David Tan’s pumpkin soup. Seeing as we’re very much in the cooler months of the year, we’re craving soup more and more, so here’s a recipe you can try out at home.

David’s winter squash (pumpkin) soup recipe

What you’ll need for your soup:

Winter Squash Soup

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 20g unsalted butter
• approximately 1.2kg winter squash (butternut pumpkin)
• 500g Dutch cream potatoes
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp hot paprika
• 1/4 tsp cocoa powder
• 6 slices bread
• 20g unsalted butter
• salt to taste

Cocoa Cream

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• finely chopped chives to garnish

How to make David’s squash soup:

For a full guide to making this soup at home, check out the Network 10 website here.

In essence, however, the recipe asks you to cook down elements like onion and butter on a stovetop, which will eventually be joined by diced pumpkin. From here, blend all your ingredients, season and build your cocoa cream. The dish is served with croutons (bread fried in butter) and a dollop of cocoa cream in the centre of the plate. It’s garnished with chopped chives.

If you’re wondering whether the soup recipe is worth trying at home, check out the judges’ reactions after tasting it on the show. Poh called it “really sophisticated” and “provocative”, praising David’s choice to blend the flavours he did in this dish.

And according to Jamie Oliver, the blend of sweet and savoury was “genius”.

If you’re after more soup recipes, check out this collection of recipes we’ve pulled together for you.

MasterChef Australia airs Sunday – Wednesday at 7:30 pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play

Lead Image Credit: Network 10