I LOVE this soup; it's super simple to make, creamy, spicy, wholesome, filling and leaves me feeling nourished. Butternut squash and thai flavours work really well together, and it's a go to ingredient whenever I'm make a thai curry or a laksa. I like to roast the butternut squash lightly in this recipe, before making the soup, as I think it adds an extra dimension and fuller flavour. This is a perfect midweek meal, and the moong dal help to bulk it out to make it feel more substantial. The colour is divine, and can't help but cheer you up on a dreary evening after a hard days work. I pimp mine up with a few chilli slices (as I like it HOT!) and some peanuts for a little extra crunch, but you can go to town with whatever toppings you like (a few crispy onions would work well too).
Serves 4
Ingredients
800g butternut squash, diced into 2cm cubes
1-2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp Rendang curry paste
1 can of coconut milk, shake well before opening (reserve 2 tbsp of coconut milk for drizzling over the finished soup before serving)
700ml vegetable stock
50g moong dal
Juice of 1 lime
Few sprigs of fresh coriander
1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
Handful of salted peanuts, crushed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Place the diced squash into a baking tray.
Add the oil and salt and mix well to coat.
Place in the oven for 15 mins.
Remove and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan over a medium heat.
Add the onion and crushed garlic and lightly fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the chilli flakes, cinnamon, curry powder and Rendang curry paste and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, moon dal, vegetable stock and butternut squash and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the moong dal are tender and the squash is soft.
Transfer the soup into a blender, and blitz to a smooth consistency (add a little more water if it's too thick).
Return to pan and place back onto the heat, add the lime juice and taste.
Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Spoon the soup into serving bowls, stir through a little of the reserved coconut milk, sprinkle over a few slices of chilli, a few coriander leaves and few crushed peanuts and serve immediately.
Delicious xxx
(Would be lovely with a glass of white wine or a nice cold beer too).