Hot-and-Sour Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 (3-pound) sugar or cheese pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 quarts chicken stock, or 1 quart canned chicken broth and 1 quart water
• 6 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5-inches only), coarsely chopped
• 1 (1-inch) piece galangal (thawed if frozen), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 to 5 fresh (1 1/2-inch) Thai chiles or 2 fresh jalapeno chiles, trimmed and coarsely chopped (seed chiles if a milder flavor is desired)
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Accompaniment: toasted pumpkin seeds, recipe follows

Directions

Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add the pumpkin and wine, and boil, uncovered, until wine is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock and simmer, covered, until pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute lemongrass, galangal, and chiles to taste, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Puree pumpkin mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Stir in lemongrass mixture, lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Pour soup through a sieve, discarding solids, and season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Cooks' note: Soup can be made 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered