Kamo Kamo Soup | Kamo Kamo or Kumi Kumi is a New Zealand vegetable that is kind of like zucchini (courgette) crossed with squash or pumpkin. Fortunately for us in lockdown, they are thriving in the garden and growing non-stop. And they’re massive! We usually boil them and they taste like melting butter. Delicious. Just add salt and pepper! That said, I’ve been finding new ways to cook them and I thought I’d give a go at creating a Kamo Kamo soup, similar to how I would make a pumpkin soup.
Here’s what you’ll need;
- 1 HUGE Kamo Kamo, seeds removed and chopped into medium sized pieces (or two-three medium-sized ones)
- Half an onion chopped (or a whole one if you feel like it)
- 4 cups of water (or pre-made stock)
- Stock to your taste (I used chicken powdered stock – 1tsp to 1 cup)
- A handful of bacon or ham chopped
- Salt and pepper to flavour
I’ve never been one to stick to recipes. I just throw things together and see what happens. Want to add garlic? Go for it. Want to add in a herb – go for your life. Add more onion or bacon, add other seasonings – use your intuition but don’t blame me if it doesn’t taste as good!
The method is easy. Fry the onion and bacon (both chopped) in a large saucepan in a little oil. Once brown, add in the water, stock and the chopped Kamo Kamo. Leave to boil about 20-30mins until soft and then either mash or blitz the mixture with a hand mixer. I gave it about 15 mins after that on a low heat for the flavours to move throughout the dish. I was happy to have mine slightly chunky with the skin, ham, and onion still prominent in the soup. If you prefer a smooth soup, blend away. It probably took around an hour in total.
The Kamo Kamo soup is super tasty. Very much like a pumpkin/ butternut soup, although a little milder in flavor and like you’ve added a huge dollop of butter. The mixture makes enough for about eight large bowls of soup. Serve it with some parsley sprinkled on top, a little parmesan and with crusty bread for extra-deliciousness. I have even been making GF bread in lockdown to attempt to somewhat stick to my FODMAP diet too.
I am going to try stuffed Kamo Kamo this week as well as roasting. Any more ideas welcome – they are growing like crazy!
