Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for half an hour.
Heat oil in a large pot and add thai red curry paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add pumpkin puree, fish sauce and 2 ½ cups broth or water.
Slice the shiitake mushrooms and add them to the pot along with jaggery and salt. Bring everything to a boil, and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
In the meanwhile, boil noodles according to package instructions till al dente (cooked but still firm when bitten), strain, wash with cold water and set aside. Washing with cold water stops the cooking process and helps avoid sticky, overcooked noodles.
Whisk together ½ cup broth with ¾ cup coconut milk and add it to the pot around the 8 minute mark. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add noodles and basil to the pot and switch off the flame. Cover and let the soup sit for 5-7 minutes before ladling it into bowls.
Serve hot topped with crushed roasted peanuts and thai basil.
Notes
Feel free to substitute shiitake mushrooms with regular button mushrooms. In case you are using button mushrooms, skip the soaking process and directly add sliced mushrooms to the pot.To make pumpkin puree, peel and slice a medium sized pumpkin and boil it in water till the pumpkin becomes soft and can be pricked easily with a fork. Drain, cool and puree till smooth.If thai basil leaves are hard to find, use Italian basil or even tulsi (Indian basil) in it's place. Adjust the quantities slightly if substituting.
