Thai Butternut Squash Soup (vegetarian)

I am very excited to share this fantastic soup recipe with you. I am so excited I want to go straight to the recipe. Seriously, this soup has such a sophisticated taste you will receive many praises.

It’s a great addition to a dinner party menu too – especially if you are hosting an Asian themed one. It’s not difficult to do either. I roasted the butternut squash as I feel that it enhances the taste of the soup just that much more. As for the consistency of the soup, you can leave it chunky but I blended mine as I prefer my soups to have a smoother consistency. I think it looks better too.

There is some heat in it from the ginger and spiciness from the chilli but you can tone those two spices down if you prefer a milder soup. I only used half a tin of coconut milk as I found that it was already thick and creamy enough. Serve this with a side of crusty artisan bread or just have it on its own. The perfect soup for cold days. A bold claim which I am confident to make with this soup!

Recipe for Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Prep Time: 45 minutes (including 30 minutes for roasting the Butternut Squash) / Cooking Time 20 minutes / Serves 4

Ingredients

400gm (half of a medium butternut squash) Butternut Squash

3 Cardamoms

½ tsp Cumin Seeds

½ Onion (diced)

3 cloves Garlic (peeled and diced)

2 Bay Leaves

1½ tsp Coriander Powder

½ tsp Chilli Flakes

¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

¼ tsp Ginger Powder

3 Tbsp Fish Sauce

1 Tbsp Lime Juice

½ tsp Sugar

1200ml Water

1 Vegetable Stock Cube

200ml (1/2 tin) Coconut Milk

2 Tbsp Cooking Oil

Fresh Coriander (small handful - chopped)

Black Pepper (to top off)

Method

1. Slice your butternut squash in half and roast it with the skin on for 30 minutes at 170°C. Once roasted, remove from oven. When it has cooled, the skin should be easy to remove, cut it into cubes. When the butternut squash is roasting, put the cardamom pods and cumin seeds into a dry pan over medium-low heat and toast lightly. This is to bring out the aromas and taste of the spices. Once toasted, remove and set aside.

2. In a deep pot, heat up the cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sweat down for about 3 minutes, then, add in the garlic and sauté briskly until lightly coloured and aromatic. Add the butternut squash cubes into the pot and continue to stir until even for about a minute or two.

3. Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Add in the vegetable stock cube, bay leaves, chilli flakes, coriander, turmeric, ginger powder and the toasted cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Reduce the heat to a simmer then add in the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes. As the butternut squash has already been pre-roasted, it should be soft by now.

4. Now, add the coconut milk and stir through the soup. If you decide to blend the soup, you can do so. I used a handheld blender – make sure the blender is properly immersed so you don’t get soup splattered over your kitchen.

5. Taste the soup and add more seasoning if needed. Add in the fresh coriander just before switching off the heat and stir through the soup. Portion the soup out into bowls. Decorate with a touch more coconut milk (gently swirl it on top with a fork) and fresh coriander. Finish off with some cracked black pepper on top if you wish.