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My Indian Butternut Squash Soup

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Fresh curry leaves, ginger and coconut milk turn this butternut squash soup into a gourmet treat.

The many recipes I invent rarely make it to this blog. Most recipes are not good enough to be written down, let alone be published. And yet, from time to time, even the lamest gold diggers stumbles on a gold nugget. Here is mine, a delicious indian squash soup which I can call my own.

FXcuisine's Indian Butternut Squash Soup
2kg Butternut Squash with rind
12-15 fresh curry leaves
Fresh ginger
2 small onions
2 garlic cloves
1-3 green chilies
Clarified Butter or Oil
2dl coconut milk
Peppercorns
Salt

If you don't have fresh curry leaves substitute with dry curry leaves. You can buy bunches of fresh curry leaves in Indian grocery stores and freeze them. Curry leaves really have a unique flavor and are central to this soup.

 

Cut butternut squashes in half lengthwise.

 

Remove the seeds and mushy pulp located in the spherical end of the squash.

 

Cut each half in 3-4 pieces, leaving the rind. Put them in an oven proof dish. Bake in a medium-hot oven (180°C) until soft, about 1 hour. The baking enhances the squashes' flavor by caramelizing the flesh.

 

Scrape the flesh and discard the rind.

 

Finely dice or crush garlic, chilies, ginger and onion and fry in a large pot until light brown over medium-high heat. This process is the basis of many Indian 'curries' and gives the soup a flavor base.

 

Add the squash pulp, peppercorns and curry leaves and cover with water. Boil for at least 10 minutes, adding water if too dry.

 

Using a potato masher, crush the squash pulp.

 

For a more delicate finish I recommend you pass the soup through a sieve or vegetable mill, but you don't need it if a rustic soup appeals to you.

 

Add the coconut milk. You could substitute with cream although you'd miss the coconut's beautiful fragrance.

Mix well, taste and add salt, pepper or ginger juice as needed.

Serve with naans and a few fresh curry leaves on top. A most amazing soup indeed.


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15 Comments

  • #1
  • Comment by parshu naraynan
Notwithstanding my revulsion at Rungis (culturally the only acceptable blood on my hands is that of the enemy!) I appreciate your well-researched blog, your explanation of the reason for various processes and crisp writing style. Please let me take the liberty of suggesting that if you have fresh curry leaves (I pluck them from the tree in my Delhi back lawn) just put them in for the last four minutes of boil-time and their flavour wont get boiled away
  • #2
  • Answered by fx
Parshu, thank you so much for your nice and learned comments, coming from an Indian gourmet, this is indeed praise from Caesar!
I will heed your advice and put the curry leaves last. Here we can't, unfortunately, pluck them from trees, but the local Indian grocery store always has fresh curry leaves.
  • #3
  • Comment by Marcello
Great presentation. I can imagine all the great presentations you did in college.
  • #4
  • Comment by Genie Berger
Found your site just this morning, and wow! great pix, wonderful articles - and recipes that make me hungry already!

Just one question: in the Indian squash soup ingredients, you list 2dl coconut milk. What is a dl?

Thanks!
  • FX's answer→ Genie, a dl stands for a deciliter, this is just under one American cup, which is 2.5 dl.

I found your blog/website a short while ago.  Although at work, I just could not move away from here!  It's too appetizing, to say the least.  Great work!  And very high level of photography.  Might I reference or share a couple of your recipes on my blog?
  • #7
  • Comment by Tom Konakowitz
Looks like an excellent soup (I like curry and squash). I have never used curry leaves. Do you remove the curry leaves before you mash the squash? OR do you leave them in the squash and do the leaves become part of the flavor.
Made this for the holidays because I was curious to see what sort of flavors the curry leaves would impart on the soup, and I was so pleasantly surprised! I'm now in love with the nuttiness of curry leaves! Thanks for the recipe!
  • FX's answer→ Thanks Anh, now you can also try the quail eggs curry, also with curry leaves.

  • #10
  • Comment by Sunita
Wow!! i am entertaining in a few days, will be using this as the soup course..... looks awesome!!! so looking forward to the silky soup... thanks so much for the effort of posting this.
  • #11
  • Comment by Mona
I love it. Well done FX.
Love your blog. :)
Hugs
Mona
  • FX's answer→ This is indeed a fine soup!

I love Indian food, I love butternut squash and I love soup!! This was made for me!!! LOL thanks for sharing p.s. I love all your pictures you include!
  • #14
  • Comment by Andrea Davidson
I've got all this butternut squash fresh from the garden, and family is coming for a week in Christmas. I looove to cook, but am not an executive chef like my brother-in-law is! i wanted to do something special with the squash to impress him a little, and this sounds perfect. Love Indian food as well so that was a bonus. Thanks!
  • #15
  • Comment by cj
can i substitute curry powder, please????

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