Thai-style Corn Chowder Soup

To Serve this Soup in a Pumpkin: Cut a "lid" in the pumpkin or squash as you would for a jack-o-lantern. Remove the lid and scrape out all the seeds. Using a knife, cut out about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch from around the inside top of the pumpkin/squash, making for a wider serving "bowl". This flesh can then be chopped up and added to the soup along with the yam (step.

. Place carved out pumpkin in the oven at 300 degree for 15 minutes, or until thoroughly heated through, then ladle in your hot soup and serve!

To make the corn chowder, fry up the bacon until lightly cooked. Reserving about 1/2 the fat, remove the bacon from the frying pan and cut into small pieces.

Place bacon pieces in the bottom of a soup pot together with the reserved bacon fat. Add the shallots or onion, plus the garlic and chili. Fry over medium-high heat for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Add the chicken stock plus the lime leaves and yam (plus reserved pumpkin or squash, if using). Bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium heat, allowing the soup to lightly boil for 6-8 minutes, or until yam is soft when pierced with a fork.

Add both cans of creamed corn, stirring well to incorporate.

Add the fish sauce and coconut milk (up to 1/2 cup coconut milk for a creamier soup).

Bring soup back up to a light boil, then remove from heat. Do a taste-test for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce or a little salt if not salty enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. If not spicy enough, add a little more cayenne pepper. If too spicy, add more coconut milk.

Serve the soup hot with fresh coriander or basil leaves sprinkled over.

If serving in a pumpkin/squash: Place the cleaned-out pumpkin on a serving platter. Ladle the soup into the "bowl" of the pumpkin. Place a fresh ladle on the serving platter. Replace the lid (this will keep the soup hot) and bring the platter to the table. When ready to dish out, remove the lid and ladle the soup into bowls. ENJOY!