Chilean Pumpkin and Changles Cream Soup — Crema de Zapallo

Versión en Español

Chilean pumpkin and changles cream soup is pumpkin boiled with salt and an optional mint leaf for 20 minutes, blended with onion and changles sautéed in sunflower oil and with cream, seasoned, and reheated without boiling, garnished with whole cooked changles. It takes 30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, and serves 4.

A winter soup featuring changles, a wild coral mushroom native to the humid forests of southern Chile.

How to Make Pumpkin and Changles Cream Soup?

It is ideally made with fresh camote squash or pumpkin and homemade vegetable broth, although good quality frozen ingredients also give excellent results. Changles can be fresh or dried.

Nutritional Information

Each serving of pumpkin and changles cream soup contains approximately 305 kcal, 5 g of protein, 22 g of fat (14 g saturated), 65 mg of cholesterol, 24 g of carbohydrates, 6 g of sugars, and 350 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

Chilean Pumpkin and Changles Cream Soup Recipe

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 600 g (1.3 lb) of pumpkin or winter squash
• 300 ml (1¼ cups) of cream
• 200 g (7 oz) of changles (wild coral mushrooms)
• 100 g (3½ oz) of onion
• 1 mint leaf
• Sunflower oil
• Fine salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Wash the changles well in cold water, removing any debris, drain on paper towels, and set aside. Wash, peel, and cut the pumpkin into pieces, put it in a medium pot, and cover with cold water.

2. Add a teaspoon of salt and, if you like, a mint leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat, and cook for about 20 minutes until very tender, then drain.

3. In a small skillet with a little sunflower oil, sauté the chopped onion for about 5 minutes until translucent, add the changles, and sauté 5 more minutes. In a blender or with a stick blender, combine the cooked pumpkin, the changles (reserving a few for garnish), the cream, and the onion, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Blend at medium speed until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Return to the pot and heat a few minutes without boiling. Serve hot, garnished with whole cooked changles.

Additional Tips

Lighter version

Replace the cream with unsweetened evaporated milk, oat milk, or almond milk to cut saturated fat while keeping it creamy.

More umami

Sauté the changles with a little chopped garlic and a splash of low sodium soy sauce before adding them.

Dried changles

Soak dried changles in warm water for 20 minutes and drain before sautéing.

Thicken if needed

If too thin, stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in cold water over low heat.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Where can I buy changles outside southern Chile?

Fresh changles are seasonal and hard to find. Look in gourmet markets or shops specializing in Chilean products, or use dried or preserved changles, which concentrate the flavor.

2. Can I make it vegan without cream?

Yes. Replace the cream with coconut milk for a subtle exotic note, or homemade cashew cream, which is neutral and thick.

3. How do I thicken the soup if it is too thin?

Return it to the pot, dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch in a little cold water, stir it into the hot soup, and cook over low heat until it thickens slightly.

Benefits of Changles

Changles provide vitamins B1, B2, and niacin, essential for energy metabolism, plus potassium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

Did You Know?

Chilean changles (also called chandi) are edible mushrooms native to southern Chile that grow in damp, shady forests from the Maule Region to the Los Ríos Region.

Recommended

• Chilean Changles with Sautéed Potatoes Recipe
• Chilean Changles Mushroom Cream Dip Recipe
• Chilean Pumpkin Cream Soup Recipe
• Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe