Curried Kabocha Squash Soup with Roasted Pepper Relish

5 from 3 votes

A rich, warming soup made from roasted kabocha squash scented with ginger, curry powder and coconut milk. Makes a little under 2 quarts of soup and can be doubled. Yield: 7 cups

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 55

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: kabocha squash recipe, kabocha squash soup recipe

Servings: People

Calories: 346kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 10

Equipment

baking sheet
Heavy knife
Kitchen towels or rags
Highspeed blender
2 gallon soup pot

Ingredients

3-4 lbs winter squash or 4 cups packed cooked or frozen squash
1 small yellow onion diced ½ inch
2 Tablespoons (20 grams) of garlic 2-3 large cloves roughly chopped
2 tablespoons (20 grams) fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon sweet curry powder
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon cloves or allspice: your choice
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or allspice
1 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
¼ cup maple syrup
1.5 tablespoons coconut oil lard or flavorless cooking oil
2 cans coconut milk
1-2 cups chicken stock or water as needed for thinning the soup

Roasted Pepper Relish (Optional)

2 orange yellow, or red sweet peppers
1 small hard baking apples like granny smith
2 tablespoons blended olive oil or flavorless oil
1 small shallot diced ¼ inch
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Optional Garnishes

Torn fresh basil or Thai basil
Greek Yogurt or coconut cream
Toasted walnuts or pumpkinseeds
Pumpkinseed oil
1 Bouquet of kaffir lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass optional

Instructions

Roasted Pepper Relish (Optional)

In a mixing bowl, combine the shallot with the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Char the peppers over a flame all over, then put in a plastic bag and allow to cool. Peel the peppers, rinsing with water to clean them. Dice the peppers ¼ inch and mix with the shallots.
Peel the apple, then dice the same size you diced the peppers. Combine the apples with the peppers and shallots, double check the seasoning and reserve. The relish can be made 1-2 days in advance.

Roast the Kabocha Squash

Preheat the oven. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and discard. Place the squash cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 350 for 45 minutes or until just tender.

Build the Soup

Cool and scoop out the squash flesh. Meanwhile, in a stock pot, sweat the garlic and onion in the coconut oil, then add the spices and cook for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk, maple syrup, stock, roasted squash, herb bouquet if using and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the onion and garlic are soft.
Puree the mixture with a hand blender or transfer to a highspeed blender and puree until very smooth.
Adjust the seasoning for salt and thin the soup with a splash of stock if it's too thick. Cool the soup (in the fall I stick it outside with a lid on). The soup will last for 5 days in the fridge, it can be frozen, but should be pureed to re-emulsify before heating and serving.

Serving

Ladle soup as desired into warmed bowls, garnish with a dollop of the relish, yogurt, basil and walnuts. You can be creative, mixing and matching garnishes you like. When I serve soups like this at home it’s convenient to set up a small buffet to let guests garnish their soup individually, or pass the garnishes in separate bowls at the table.

Video

Notes

Make sure to watch the video, read the entire recipe and the tips and variations section so you know how you can be creative with the soup and make it your own.

Nutrition