Squash is one of my absolute favourite vegetables to grow and eat. When you grow your own there are so many more varieties to choose from than what you can buy in the supermarket. I love the versatility of this beautiful ingredient. Some varieties may keep until your following year’s harvest, depending which variety you grow. In this recipe, I have used Crown Prince squash. Crown Prince is notorious for its flavour and storage capabilities. Its texture is fantastic and its flesh is slightly sweeter than butternut. You can of course use any other winter squash you have to hand. You will need some form of blender for this recipe. I love making blended soups because you can be more rough with your chopping.

Curried Squash Soup

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings 6

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp coconut oil or other cooking oil of choice
900 g winter squash peeled and cut into 2-4cm chunks
300 g onion sliced
150 g red lentils washed
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick or 10cm piece of cassia bark
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
20 g garlic peeled and finely chopped
30 g ginger chopped (peeled if not organic)
1.5 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder this gives the soup a mild-medium heat. Increase or decrease if you wish.
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
400 ml light coconut milk or 200ml full fat + 200ml water
1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 1.2L boiling water
1.5 tsp salt adjust to taste
2 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp fresh lime juice optional – this helps counteract the sweetness slightly. If you use a different type of squash taste the soup first to see if you think it needs it, and add slowly

Instructions

Heat the coconut oil over a medium-high heat and add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the onion and reduce to a medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft and then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilli powder and black pepper and cook for one minute.
Add the squash, red lentils, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until all ingredients are tender. This should be around 20 minutes but may vary depending on the size you cut your vegetables.
Remove the bay leaf and blend all the remaining ingredients together.
Stir in the garam masala, then the salt and lime juice to taste.

Keyword curry, soup, squash, vegan, vegetarian

Curried Squash Soup Recipe