The key answer of exercise 6

You get a large onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and ginger and you chop them all really finely – or use a food processor. Then you put some oil in a pan and heat it up and throw everything into the oil with a couple of bits of lemongrass and a whole chilli. and then you cook it quite quickly, but you have to keep stirring. Then you throw in the pumpkin cubes. Add lentils – roughly a cupful – and a tin (or less) of coconut milk. Add about a litre or so of chicken stock and bring it to the boil. Then once it’s boiling, you reduce the heat and leave it for fifteen minutes or so – till the pumpkin’s soft. Take out the lemongrass and blend the soup till it’s smooth. Sprinkle a bit of chopped parsley, or basil, and a pinch or two of salt.