thai-style butternut squash soup

This  soup isn’t the usual mild, Thanksgiving-day stuff. Created by identical twin cookbook authors Mary Barber and Sara Whiteford, it’s buzzed up with curry, ginger, coconut milk, and lime. I used pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store (a shortcut I highly recommend; you need about a pound of it) but if you need to cut up your own, well, this photo shows how to do it. Mary and Sara also serve this like a stew, leaving the squash pieces large and ladling them over cooked rice or quinoa. I pureed the soup in a blender until it was just coarsely pureed.

ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, or 3 tablespoons chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium butternut squash (about 1-1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon green curry paste
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lime
1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, as needed
cilantro for garnish, optional

directions

Place a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onions and the ginger. Stir in the curry powder and the salt. Cook, with an occasional stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and green curry. Cook for a few minutes, stirring to ensure that the onions don’t burn. It’s important that you get some good caramelization on the bottom of the pan.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the squash is tender. (You can cook it a bit longer if you want the soup to be “squashed,” or a little less if you want a brothier consistency with firmer bites of squash.)

Finally, stir in the coconut milk, then add the lime. Taste and, if necessary, add the sugar (each butternut squash has its own unique concentration of sugars, so add as needed). Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired.