Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the pumpkins on a baking tray and rub with olive oil. Generously season with salt. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is knife tender. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool.
Once cooled, carefully peel away the skin and place the flesh in a dish. The seeds in the center of the pumpkin can be set aside and roasted if you want fresh pumpkin seeds to top the soup. I ended up with about 800 grams of pumpkin flesh from the 2 portions. Set aside.
Place a deep pot over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of canola oil and allow to heat up. Add carrots and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, lemongrass, and sambal oelek. Mix together well.
Add the pumpkin flesh, vegetable broth, chili powder, and cardamom. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat, remove the lemongrass, and use an immersion blender or a stand blender to mix until smooth. Turn the heat back to medium and add the orange juice and zest and coconut milk. Cook until heated. Flavor with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with sliced scallions, cilantro, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
