Roasted Butternut Squash soup with a Thai twist

A rich autumn soup enhanced with Thai red curry paste and kiffir lime leaves. A hint of red curry paste cuts through the creaminess of the roasted Butternut squash beautifully. It is smoky and naturally sweet and creamy.

Thai Butternut squash soup

#thaifood#thaifusion

I love this recipe for its ease and simplicity. Butternut squash is easy to find while red curry paste is widely available in most supermarkets. If you love Thai curries you will want to spoon out the last drop of sauce in the bowl. This soup is mild as I don't want spices in curry paste to overpower the butternut squash flavour. The cooking method is very similar to making a Thai green curry but much simpler. Good quality vegetable stock and coconut milk are key.

Serve 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes (plus 45 mins for roasting the butternut squash in the oven)

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Ingredients

• 1 medium size butternut squash

• 2 cups of coconut cream

• 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

• 1 tsp of Thai red curry paste

• 3 kaffir lime leaves

• 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

• 1 tsp of coconut sugar

Method

1. Cut the the butternut in half length way. Scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a baking sheet and roast in the over at 200c for 40-45 minutes until very soft. Once cool, scoop out the soft flesh in a bowl and set a side.

2. In a deep sauce pan, heat the coconut milk gently to simmering point. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the coconut milk is slighly thicker and able to coast the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Add 1 tsp curry paste. Cook stiring on low heat untill well mixed.

4. Tear a lime leaves and mix in.

5. Once you start seeing a red curry oil spots surfaces, add the butternut squash. Mix well. It will look thick and lumpy at this stage.

6. Gradually add the vegetable or chicken stock. Each time you add more stock stir until you get the consistency you like your soup to be.

7. Flavour with a pitch of salt, a tbsp of Thai fish sauce and 1tsp of coconut sugar.

8. Cover and infuse it on gentle heat for 10- 15 minutes.

9. Remove the lime leaves and blitz the soup with a stick blender until smooth.

10. Serve garnish with shredded lime leaves.