As with many soups I make, this one doesn’t come with a lot of pictures. Imaging taking a well-exposed shot of the inside of a large pot with steam rolling out right at you, you’d be a hero! Instead I took a few shots playing with the lighting afterward; trying to get a moody look… I had fun with the process and enjoyed the result.
This soup is something I made a while ago, but hadn’t gotten around to posting (I have quite a back-log) but I felt now was the time since it feels like it’s been raining all week and we need something to warm us up. When I made this soup a few months ago I was having a particularly bad week, or at least bad luck. Things started out great with a trip up north to spend time with my family at the cabin, my cousins from England were even there, and our first day had warm weather for boating and fishing. By evening my foul luck was foreshadowed by the lack of tent stakes in our bag and the need to create some using a knife and some sticks. The bush-crafted stakes held through a small storm that passed over and all through the night without fail, but my whittling badge was about to be retracted…
Brittany and I awoke before the rest of the group, and I decided to coax the fire back to life. The coals were still warm, but dry wood was in short supply. I had brought along my brand-new survival blade to test out, and figured this was an opportunity to try batoning (splitting wood). All went smoothly, and I had the fire going again, when I decided to split one last piece just for fun. I will spare you the details after that (I don’t want you to lose your appetite) but I had to get stitches… This unfortunate event was followed by my first ever speeding ticket on the way home, and then my second speeding ticket 3 days later.
After that week, I needed something comforting to eat while I licked my wounds and tried to regroup. This soup brought me back from a crappy week, so if you’ve been feeling the doldrums, give this one a try!
Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Notes
Original recipe found on www.cookieandkate.com
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste*
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to 1/4 teaspoon for spicier soup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk for drizzling on top
- 1/2 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes**
- Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add squash, onion, garlic, curry paste, coriander, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes to skillet. Stir to combine.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, toast the coconut flakes in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden on the edges. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Transfer coconut flakes to a bowl to cool.
- Once the squash mixture is done cooking, taste and add a little more Thai red curry paste if you want it spicy. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer the contents pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with remaining batches.
- Stir the lime juice into the blended soup. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Use a spoon to drizzle coconut milk over each bowl, then lightly swirl the spoon through the topmost layer for a pretty design. Top the soup with toasted coconut flakes and a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.