This soup is rich without cream and isn’t too filling. You can use vegetable broth if you’re a vegetarian and leave out the coconut milk if you want fewer calories. Believing that ginger and garlic are good for the immune system, I propose that this is a perfect soup for boosting your defenses.
This recipe makes enough for 8 people as an entrée – the flavors get even better the second or third day, however, so make a large batch and take it to work for a thoroughly satisfying lunch. Prep time is about twenty minutes, cooking time 30-40 minutes.
Getting all the ingredients together before you start to cook makes things go faster and makes it easier to prepare food and listen to the radio at the same time. 😉
Ingredients
2 small or 1 large butternut squash (enough to make about
6 cups once it’s peeled and cubed.)
4 carrots (enough to make a cup or slightly more when
peeled and chopped.
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 Tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger root
3 Cloves garlic finely chopped
2 medium to large onions, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons butter or oil
2 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste
1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk
Garnish: chopped almonds, raw or toasted.
Additional, optional garnishes or seasonings: lime zest or chopped fresh cilantro.
Assemble ingredients.
Cut the squash in half, scrape out seeds and remove peel with a knife or peeler. Cut into chunks.
Peel and chop the onions and carrots.
Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger root.
Everything is chopped and ready to go. This is the only time-consuming part of this recipe. While the soup cooks you can be doing other things.
Put the oil or butter into either a sauté pan or a large soup kettle. Add the onions and cook until they just begin to brown. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another two minutes.
There is just a touch of brown on the onions when you add the garlic and ginger. Be sure to keep the heat low at this point so the garlic doesn’t brown. You can cook the onions, garlic and ginger in the soup pot instead of the saute pan if you wish.
Put the onion/garlic/ginger mixture into a large pot and add the broth, carrots, and squash. Cover the pot and heat until it’s almost at a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the carrots and squash are very soft.
Put everything into the pot except the curry paste, coconut milk and garnishes. You’ll add the paste after all the veggies are soft and the coconut milk when you puree the soup.
Add the red curry paste before blending.
Working with a small batch at a time, puree the soup in a food processor or blender being careful if you’re doing this when the soup is very hot. The heat can cause the mix to push out of the top of a blender or food processor, especially if you’ve tried to puree a large amount all at one time. #TheVoiceOfExperience. One way to prevent this is by adding a bit of the coconut milk to each batch you blend, and this will help cool it.
Place all the pureed soup back into a pot for warming before serving. This soup can be made hours or even a day or two ahead of time.
Toast almonds for garnishing if desired, or grate lime zest or chop cilantro.
Ready to eat! You could make this soup in the fall with garden-harvested squash. If you want to freeze it, leave out the curry paste and coconut milk and then add them when you thaw and heat the soup before serving.
Add more red curry paste to taste if you wish, and garnish the soup with almonds, grated lime zest, or chopped cilantro.
