Butternut Squash and Green Curry Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 4 tbs coconut oil or neutral-tasting oil
- 3 shallots
- 1 piece fresh ginger (+/- 5 cm)
- 1 lemongrass stalk
- Kosher salt
- 2 kg butternut peeled and seeded
- 0.8 l coconut milk
- 6 to 8 tbs Thai green curry paste
- 3 tbs fish sauce
- 8 dl chicken stock
For the garnish:
- 200 g raw peanuts
- 200 g unsweetened raw coconut flakes
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 8 dried red chiles thinly sliced
- 1 tbs neutral-tasting or melted coconut oil
- 1 tbs minced lemongrass
- 1 tbs sugar
- Thai basil leaves
- 3 limes
Instructions
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Heat oven to 150°. Melt oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add shallots (diced), ginger (peeled and thinly sliced), lemongrass (cut into 7 cm pieces) and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and just starting to brown, about 18 minutes.
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Add butternut (cut into 2 cm cubes), coconut milk, curry paste, 3 tablespoons fish sauce and 4/5 of the chicken stock. Increase heat to high. When liquid comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the soup covered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.
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Make garnish while soup cooks: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together peanuts, coconut flakes, fish sauce, chiles (thinly sliced), 1 tablespoon oil, the minced lemongrass and the sugar.
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Spread mixture out onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes after the first 10 minutes. Remove from oven when coconut is deep golden brown, and pour mixture immediately into a bowl to prevent overcooking. Stir to combine, and set aside.
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Remove soup from heat. Remove lemongrass stalks from pot. Use a hand blender to purée soup. Alternatively, transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and purée. Taste and adjust for salt and curry paste. Add water or stock to thin soup to the desired consistency.
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Thinly slice the basil leaves and arrange on a small plate or platter, along with the limes ( cut in wedges) and peanut mixture. Serve soup hot with garnishes.
Recipe Notes
Samin Nosrat / Karsten Moran for The New York Time