Butternut Squash and Green Curry Soup

Butternut Squash and Green Curry Soup
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Rating
5(3,265)
Comments
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This creamy, vibrant soup is a Thai-inspired version of the puréed squash soup you know and love. The green curry paste, which is relatively easy to find in the international aisle of the grocery store, along with coconut milk and fish sauce, perfectly complements the butternut squash's sweetness. But it's the topping — a spin on miang kham, a snack in Thailand and Laos full of peanuts, coconut and chiles — that's the real standout.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Soup

    • 4tablespoons coconut oil or neutral-tasting oil
    • 3medium shallots, diced
    • 1(2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
    • 1lemongrass stalk, cut into 3-inch pieces
    • Kosher salt
    • 2medium butternut squashes (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into about ¾-inch cubes
    • 2(13½-ounce) cans coconut milk
    • 6 to 8tablespoons Thai green curry paste, or to taste
    • 3tablespoons fish sauce
    • 3 to 4cups water or chicken stock, preferably homemade

    For the Garnish

    • ¾cup raw peanuts
    • ¾cup unsweetened raw coconut flakes
    • 2tablespoons fish sauce
    • 8small dried red chiles, such as Japones or chiles de árbol, thinly sliced
    • 1tablespoon neutral-tasting or melted coconut oil
    • 1tablespoon minced lemongrass
    • 1teaspoon sugar
    • 10lime leaves, thinly sliced (optional)
    • Handful of Thai or Italian basil leaves
    • 2 to 3limes, quartered
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

579 calories; 43 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 1286 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 300 degrees. Melt oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add shallots, ginger, lemongrass and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and just starting to brown, about 18 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add squash, coconut milk, curry paste, 3 tablespoons fish sauce and 3 cups water or stock. Increase heat to high. When liquid comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the soup covered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Make garnish while soup cooks: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together peanuts, coconut flakes, fish sauce, chiles, 1 tablespoon oil, the minced lemongrass, the sugar and the lime leaves, if using.

  4. Step 4

    Spread mixture out onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes after the first 10 minutes. Remove from oven when coconut is deep golden brown, and pour mixture immediately into a bowl to prevent overcooking. Stir to combine, and set aside.

  5. Step 5

    Remove soup from heat. Remove lemongrass stalks from pot. Use a hand blender to purée soup. Alternatively, transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and purée. Taste and adjust for salt and curry paste. Add water or stock to thin soup to the desired consistency.

  6. Step 6

    Thinly slice the basil leaves and arrange on a small plate or platter, along with lime wedges and peanut mixture. Serve soup hot with garnishes.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,265 user ratings
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Comments

I made this for dinner with some girlfriends last night. It was fun and easy to make. I great twist on butternut squash soup. However, it was so spicy we had a difficult time eating it. If you're planning to use traditional green curry paste from an Asian Market, I would absolutely recommend starting with just 3 or 4 tablespoons. Will give it another try soon!

I grew up in Thailand and know how to cook authentic Thai curry. The amount of curry paste in this recipe is ways too much. Usually we only use 2-3 spoons of curry paste per 2 cans of coconut milk/broth to make a real spicy green curry. For this soup, I'd say 2 tbp of green curry paste is more than enough. It's a butternut squash soup enhanced with green curry taste, not a bowl of curry itself. You can also use Thai red curry paste and it tastes really good too!

Braggs Liquid Amino is a great sub for fish sauce, not the same flavor but the umami boost is helpful to dish like this.

Are you, like me, a Thai food aficionado who thinks you can handle 6 to 8 tablespoons of green curry paste, no problem?! Think again. I used almost a full can of Maesri curry paste, assuming the spice would mellow out with the coconut milk and chicken broth, but my friends and I couldn't eat the (otherwise delicious) soup without adding embarrassing amounts of heavy cream. You've been warned!

The only changes I made were to add shrimp to the garnish (to make it more substantial and because my husband doesn’t like coconut meat, which I left out) and to use pepper flakes instead of dried chiles. It was divine! Half made three servings for us.

This is delicious and fairly simple. I halved the recipe and found that plenty. We have Mae Ploy curry paste which is very spicy so I used about 2 heaping tablespoons. That was just right for a first try.

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