Curried Butternut Squash Coconut Soup

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Growing up in Asia, soup is always light and probably clear. More so known as “broth” in western culinary definitions. But I occasionally fall for the famous New England chowder, as well as flavor soup like this one.

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Required equipment:

• Blender / Food Processor

Ingredients:

• 1 Onion, quartered

• Butternut squash (peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into ~1 inch pieces)

• 4 Garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup of Coconut oil (If you don’t have this, olive oil is totally fine)

• 1 1/2 cup of Coconut milk + 2 tablespoons for garnish (optional)

• 1 tbsp Pepper flakes (Feel free to add more if you like the kick)

• 3 tablespoons of Curry powder (any kind that you like, Garam Masala for example) 

Optional:

• Cilantro, chopped

• Shallot, quartered (if I happen to have shallots, i’ll add it along with onion, it gives more flavor to the soup)

• Ginger (treat it like garlic)

• Cinnamon / Cardamom (Warm spices will go really well here)

What’s Next:

1. Toast coconut flakes in oven at 350 degrees or stove top, ~3-5 minutes until light brown and set aside

2. Heat up the coconut oil in a dutch oven or medium size pot over medium heat

3. Add onion, garlic or shallots if you like (optional), 2 teaspoons of salt, black pepper, curry powder, pepper flakes and any spices listed as optional if you like. Occasionally stir with a wooden spoon until onion has softened and become translucent, about 5-7 minutes

4. Add squash to the pot, stir to coat. Then add ~3 cups of water just about cover the squash and add coconut milk. Turn heat up to boiling. 

5. Turn down the heat to medium and let the vegetables cook until tender, about 12-14 minutes. 

6. Transfer the content to a blender or to a large bowl if you're using a hand blender. Fill up to no more than half way. Make sure it's equal parts of liquid vs solid. Better to do this in smaller batches than to have soup cover your kitchen :) 

7. If your blender has a vent, keep that open. Otherwise the steam will blow off the cover as you blend. Start slow and work your way up to high, until the content is smooth and silky. Transfer to a large bowl and continue to work in batches. 

8. Give it a final taste, add salt to adjust to your taste 

9. If your soup has lost temperature during the blending process, pour back to the pot and reheat for a few minutes 

10. Garnish with coconut milk, toasted coconut, black pepper and cilantro!