Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup

Many experienced chefs will tell you the true test of a good chef is how well they make soup. Personally I find a lot of soup recipes a little low on flavour, not great texture and kind of boring. However, this is not a problem with my Butternut Squash Coconut Curry soup.  I use a variety of herbs and spices making the soup bold in flavour, while the butternut squash adds a smooth texture.

While I wouldn't claim to be an expert on Indian cuisine, I really love experimenting with the spices and flavour profiles.  I'm not sure how traditional Butternut Squash is to Indian cooking, but as with most squash, it's mild flavour compliments many different cuisines.  The spices I've chosen are common in a lot of curry recipes and work well in this soup, but you could use any spices you like. Alternatively, you could substitute a couple tablespoons of curry powder which usually contains a lot of the same spices I've used.

I start out by sauteing the onion and garlic with all the spices, this toasts all the spices and develops a lot of flavour in a short amount of time.  Something I first learnt to do when I was in culinary school and we cooked a large Indian buffet.  However, I've since learnt this is a very traditional way to cook spices in Indian cooking.  This technique translates to other types of cuisine and dishes too, for example I toast my spices when making chili or a Bolognese sauce.

I like to puree the soup with an immersion blender which gives the finished soup a velvety smooth texture.  However, to add a little bite, I add some cooked Basmati or Jasmine rice just before serving. I wouldn't recommend adding raw rice to cook in the soup, it tends to absorb too much liquid and cause the soup to over thicken.  If you didn't want to add rice to the soup, some vegetables or lentils would work great.  Of course, the soup served on it's own is really nice too.

Here's the recipe:

1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 large garlic cloves crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of  oregano
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
Seeds from 2 pods of cardamom (discard the shells) or a 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper, or to taste
1 butternut squash, peeled de-seeded and chopped
Chicken stock - enough to just submerge the squash
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 cup of cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice (optional)

Add chopped onion and garlic to a dutch oven or pot and saute on medium heat for a minute or two until starting to soften.  Add a pinch of salt and then start adding all the herbs and spices stirring often.  Let the spices cook and toast in the pan with the onions for about five minutes (continuing to stir) or until the mixture is fragrant and the onions and garlic are softened.

Add the chopped butternut squash and toss in the onion, garlic, spice mixture cooking until slightly softened.  Then add chicken stock to the pan; enough to cover the butternut squash.  Give the whole mixture a stir and then cover with a tight fitting lid and turn the heat down to low and let gently simmer away for 20 to 30 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked through.

Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth ensuring there are no large chunks of butternut squash left.

Then stir in the whole can of coconut milk, which should be just enough additional liquid to give the soup the perfect texture.

However, if after adding the coconut milk your soup is still too thick, add some more chicken stock or water.  Taste to see if the soup needs salt or pepper and then add vegetables or lentils as desired.  If using rice, add a little bit of cooked rice to the middle of your soup bowl and then pour soup around the rice to make an attractive presentation.

Rice Recipe

1/2 cup of Jasmine or Basmati rice
1 cup of water or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Add rice and liquid in a small saucepan and place on medium high heat.  Bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring often.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn heat down to lowest setting and leave for 15 minutes until rice is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper and stir rice with a fork to make fluffy.

Bon Appetit!