Yellow Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
I know it technically isn’t fall yet but the leaves are starting to turn colours and the temperature has definitely dropped down to jean jacket temperatures and with that comes my uncontrollable desire to eat soups, watch Gilmore Girls and listen to Fleetwood Mac. I know Fleetwood Mac isn’t fall music, but it always feels melancholic to me which really just sums up how I feel as the seasons change and the days get a little bit shorter.
Speaking of melancholy – this is soup is personally giving melancholic joy. During, and briefly after, my apprenticeship I worked for a friend at a local restaurant and one things we very frequently had on the menu was a yellow curry. The sauce was so incredibly comforting, it was creamy, rich and spicy and we would serve it with paneer, tofu, chicken, shrimp or a with a HEAP of mussels. It was the number one thing I would gravitate to for my shift meal and something I think about as frequently as men apparently think about the Roman Empire (IYKYK).
To be completely honest I have not tried this recipe with any other yellow curry paste, I know there are other brands out there that I am sure are great but for me AROY-D will always be the bees knees. I only added two tablespoons so that the flavour of the butternut squash would still be forward but if you want a bit more of a punch feel free to increase this.
Prep
- Butternut squash can be roasted up to three days in advance.
- Chickpeas can be roasted the day before, any longer and they lose their crispness.
Equipment
- 2 x Quarter Sheet Pans
- 48oz Blender
- Cutting Board
- Chefs Knife
- Large Pot
- Can Opener
- Box Grater
Yellow Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Course: Dinner, Vegetables2-4
servingsCreamy and rich with a bit of spice, this soup is perfect for fall, or anytime.
Ingredients
- Soup
1 Medium or 2 Small Butternut Squash
1 Yellow Onion
5 Small Cloves of Garlic
1″ Piece Ginger
4 Cilantro Roots with stems, plus some leaves for garnish.
2 Tbsp Yellow Curry Paste*
2 Cups (500mL) Vegetable Stock
1 13.5oz (400mL) Can Full Fat Coconut Milk
Salt
- Roasted Chickpeas
1 15oz Can Chickpeas
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Salt
0.5 tsp Brown Sugar
0.5 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Chili Powder
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
Cut butternut squash lengthwise, remove seeds and then transfer to a baking sheet.
Brush the squash with vegetable oil and season with salt and set aside. - Drain and rinse chickpeas then pat dry with paper towels.
Transfer to the second baking sheet then coat with oil, season with salt, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and brown sugar and then toss to combine. - Place the squash and chickpeas into the preheated oven.
The chickpeas will take 40-45 minutes until crunchy. Note they will firm up as they cool.
The squash will take 55-65 minutes. You want the squash to be soft when pierced. - Slice your onion into 1/4″ slices, peel and smash garlic, grate ginger on a box grater and chop cilantro roots and stems into 1/2″ lengths.
- When you have about 30 minutes left on your squash set a large pot over medium high heat before adding onions and seasoning with salt.
- Cook onions stirring occasionally until soft and starting to take on a bit of colour 4-6 minutes.
Add garlic and stir frequently until fragrant 1-2 minutes.
Add ginger and cilantro stirring constantly for 1 minutes.
If things start to stick to the bottom of the pot you can add a splash of vegetable stock. - Add curry paste and stir constantly until well combined and starting to darken.
Pour in vegetable stock and bring to a simmer for 8-10 minutes until onions are soft.
Your squash likely wont be done yet so let your soup base cool slightly while you wait. - When the squash is done cooking and cool enough to handle scoop out the flesh and add it to your blender.
Add soup base and your can of coconut milk (less 1/4 cup which you will reserve for serving).
Make sure your lid is not tight fitting, if you use a Vitamix or other blender that has the option to remove the plug from the lid please do so.
Hold a cloth over the hole in the lid, and turn your blender on low.
Slowly count to 10 as you increase the speed of the blender and continue running until the soup is smooth then count to 10 again as your slowly lower the speed.
Return soup to the pot reheat and season with salt to taste. - Portion soup into bowls, top with chickpeas, coconut milk and cilantro leaves.
Notes
- Serves 4 as a light meal or appetizer or 2 hungry people as a main.
- My preferred brand of yellow curry paste is AROY-D.
