Moroccan Pumpkin Soup

I had some pumpkin on the way out so I thought I'd try a pumpkin soup I hadn't made before. I got this recipe from Taste. It's pumpkin soup with a bit of a spice twist.

Moroccan Pumpkin Soup


Ingredients
(serves 6)

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red birdseye chilli, finely chopped (I used 1/4 tsp chilli powder - omit if you don't like spice)
1 cinnamon stick (I used 1tsp ground cinnamon)
3cm piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1.5kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded, cut into 3cm pieces
1/3 cup (70g) yellow split peas (I used red lentils)
Juice of 1/2 lemon


Method


Heat oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat and cook leek, garlic and 2 tsp salt, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until soft.
Add chilli, cinnamon, ginger and cumin and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add carrots, pumpkin and split peas. Stir to coat in onion mixture.
Add 1.5 litres water to saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 50 minutes or until split peas are soft.
Remove and discard cinnamon stick from soup.
Add lemon juice then process or blend soup, in small batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Return soup to pan and reheat over medium heat.
Add salt as required.