Satisfying but not too heavy, luxuriously luscious and with perfectly balanced flavours, this delicious butternut squash soup will win your heart from the first spoon.
If dishes were movies, butternut squash would be getting the Oscar for the best supporting role in this one. This humble vegetable gracefully plays down here, making space for bold and loud ginger, fresh aromatics and fragrant spice – but without it, the whole thing wouldn’t hold up. Subtly sweet and mellow, butternut squash ties together the flavors of ginger, herbs and umami, balances the heat, creates a soothing velvety texture and adds a beautiful pop of color. This soup is a real treat and can be enjoyed both as a starter or a meal on its own, especially when served alongside fresh warm bread.
Ingredients overview:
Butternut squash: provides the base for the soup and sets the tone with its pleasantly sweet taste with slight nuttiness.
Coconut cream: a great flavour pairing for butternut squash and improves the soup texture making it silkier and smoother.
Ginger: pungent and bright, it creates a sharp contrast and elevates the dish with an aromatic kick.
Garlic: the heat transforms its pungency into a soft, buttery flavour with a touch of sweetness.
Red onion: adds a spicy, peppery note.
Prawns: create complexity with deep flavours of umami and add substance.
Fresh coriander: complements every ingredient, tones down the heat and creates a burst of freshness.
Ground cumin: responsible for deep, earthy undertones.
Ground coriander: adds more freshness with subtle citrusy notes and floral aromas.
How to make it:
The beauty of this soup is not only in its deliciousness but also the simplicity of preparation. Butternut squash does not require roasting – simply simmer it on low heat in enough amount of water for 15-20 minutes until soft. The aromatics – ginger, garlic and onion – don’t even need to be chopped: they go into the same pan as prawns and then straight into the blender. The whole process takes just about half an hour!
Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut, Ginger and Prawns
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- A frying pan
- Hand blender
Ingredients
- 350 g butternut squash, peeled and cut in large cubes
- 300 ml chicken stock
- 16-20 medium prawns, peeled, tail on
- 3 cm piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped (see Notes)
- 5 cloves of garlic, lightly pressed
- 1 small red onion, quartered
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 200 ml coconut milk or cream
- fresh coriander leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Boil butternut squash until soft, reserve one cup of broth and drain.
- Heat oil to medium. Fry together prawns, onion and garlic until the prawns are cooked.
- Remove from the pan, reserve the prawns and transfer the fried onion, garlic and all the juices from the pan into the pot with boiled squash.
- Add the reserved broth, fresh ginger, ground coriander, salt and pepper and blitz until smooth.
- Return to the stove, add chicken stock and bring to simmer. Stir in the coconut milk and remove from heat; add the salt and adjust to perfection.
- To serve, divide the prawns between plates, pour in the soup, season with freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with coriander leaves.
Notes
- Both butternut squash or sweet pumpkin (like kabocha) are suitable in this recipe.
- If using coconut cream, you may want to reduce the quantities to 100-150ml.
- The suggested amount of ginger will bring in a nice, noticeable kick – if you prefer it less spicy, half the quantity.
