Thursday, October 22, 2009

Thai Pumpkin Soup

This was definitely a winner, with both the husband and the two-year-old coming back for thirds.

Feel free to substitute winter squash for the pumpkin. Butternut or any other fairly smooth-fleshed squash would be a good choice. If you have the cooked squash on hand already, this soup goes together quite quickly. Thai curry paste is very flavorful, but also spicy, so calibrate the amount to your heat tolerance.


Canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1-3 tsp Thai red curry paste
5 cups cooked pumpkin or winter squash
1 14-oz can coconut milk (light is fine)
Water or stock (chicken or veggie)
1 Tbsp Thai fish sauce (optional but recommended)
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cilantro

Heat a little canola oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic, onion, and ginger and saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the curry paste and saute for another minute or so, stirring to combine. Remove from heat.

In a food processor, combine the squash and onion mixture and process until smooth, adding a little water as needed. You may need to do this in batches. Pour the squash mixture back into the soup pot. Stir in the coconut milk and add water or stock until the soup reaches your desired consistency (I go for a medium thickness myself). Stir in fish sauce, salt, and cilantro and heat through.

Serves 4-6.

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