Winter squash are amazing, aren’t they? You can place a colorful one on your table for decoration, and months later – months! – you can chop it up, roast it, and eat it. You can find one in the trunk of your car a few weeks after you forgot it was there, bring it to your kitchen, cook it, blend it, and enjoy a thick, creamy soup.
It’s the coconut of the North. Just as a coconut keeps you alive on a deserted island, winter squash will keep you alive – and healthy – through the toughest of winters. They’re packed with Vitamin A & C, omega 3 fatty acids, and beta-carotene.
I used the leftover squash from my previous recipe – Soy Glazed Kabocha Squash – to whip up this easy Thai Coconut Soup. With the squash already roasted the day before, the prep time for the soup is minimal, making it a great idea for a busy weeknight dinner.
The two key spices for this Thai soup are Galangal & Lemongrass – essential flavors in Thai cuisine. I added just a touch of lemongrass powder to give the broth a hint of the warming, citrusy herb. Because the peppery, piney, lemony, floral flavors of galangal powder combine so well with squash and coconut, I added in a more potent dash of the ginger-like spice.
Spiced and slowly simmered, this Thai Coconut Soup with Kabocha Squash is a nourishing, delicious, must-make winter soup. Enjoy it as a side dish, or as a main dish with a bowl of brown rice.
Thai Coconut Soup with Kabocha Squash
by Season With Spice
Serves 2-4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth
3-4 cloves garlic – crushed
1 tsp Season with Spice’s Galangal Powder
1/2 tsp Season with Spice’s Lemongrass Powder
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 red bell pepper – cut into small cubes
1-2 Thai dried red chili peppers – broken into half (keep whole if you prefer less heat)
1/2 medium kabocha squash (or butternut squash) – cut into bite-sized cubes, and roasted prior to preparing soup*
1 tsp coconut palm sugar or raw cane sugar
Fish sauce or salt, to taste
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Method:
1. In a pot or sauce pan, combine vegetable broth, garlic, lemongrass powder, and galangal powder. On medium fire, bring soup to a boil.
2. When soup begins to boil, reduce the fire to bring the soup to a simmer. Add in coconut milk, red bell pepper, and Thai dried red chili peppers. Stir occasionally. Let cook for about a minute, then add in the pre-roasted kabocha squash. Stir gently and keep it at a slow simmer.
3. Once the squash is warmed through, and fragrant in the soup, season with fish sauce (or salt) and sugar. Squeeze in some lime juice. Taste and make adjustments if necessary. Serve warm.
Notes:
- I recommend slicing a whole kabocha squash into cubes, roast it, and enjoy half as a side for dinner. Then sometime in the next few days, use the other half of the pre-roasted squash in this soup recipe. If you’re instead preparing this recipe with freshly cut kabocha squash, you will just need to simmer the soup in Step 2 for much longer, about 15-20 minutes, until the squash is softened.
by Season With Spice
Serves 2-4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth
3-4 cloves garlic – crushed
1 tsp Season with Spice’s Galangal Powder
1/2 tsp Season with Spice’s Lemongrass Powder
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 red bell pepper – cut into small cubes
1-2 Thai dried red chili peppers – broken into half (keep whole if you prefer less heat)
1/2 medium kabocha squash (or butternut squash) – cut into bite-sized cubes, and roasted prior to preparing soup*
1 tsp coconut palm sugar or raw cane sugar
Fish sauce or salt, to taste
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Method:
1. In a pot or sauce pan, combine vegetable broth, garlic, lemongrass powder, and galangal powder. On medium fire, bring soup to a boil.
2. When soup begins to boil, reduce the fire to bring the soup to a simmer. Add in coconut milk, red bell pepper, and Thai dried red chili peppers. Stir occasionally. Let cook for about a minute, then add in the pre-roasted kabocha squash. Stir gently and keep it at a slow simmer.
3. Once the squash is warmed through, and fragrant in the soup, season with fish sauce (or salt) and sugar. Squeeze in some lime juice. Taste and make adjustments if necessary. Serve warm.
Notes:
- I recommend slicing a whole kabocha squash into cubes, roast it, and enjoy half as a side for dinner. Then sometime in the next few days, use the other half of the pre-roasted squash in this soup recipe. If you’re instead preparing this recipe with freshly cut kabocha squash, you will just need to simmer the soup in Step 2 for much longer, about 15-20 minutes, until the squash is softened.
