Curried Squash Soup

 

Curried Squash Soup

• 1 large squash, peeled and cut into chunks
• 900ml vegetable stock
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• 1 tbsp Penang curry paste
• 1/2 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• Small handful Thai Basil
• Couple tablespoons of vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.  Line a baking tray with foil and cover with the chopped squash.  Drizzle the vegetable oil over the squash and season with salt and pepper before roasting in the oven for around 20 minutes or until the squash is somewhat charred and has softened, then remove from the oven and set aside.

Chopped squash

Heat the curry paste in a large pan with some of the chopped chilli, once the aromas and oils are released add the coconut milk and stir until mixed through before adding the squash, stir again to coat the squash then add the vegetable stock and most of the Thai Basil (reserve some along with the chilli to garnish), stir and allow to simmer for around 30 minutes, skimming off any foam at the end of cooking.  Remove from the heat and blitz with a stick blender until you have a smooth consistency.  Serve and garnish with some of the reserved Basil and chilli.

This soup is perfect for this time of year, nice and warming and packed full of flavour.  If you prefer a milder soup then leave out the chilli and add more coconut milk to make it creamier.  I used up 3 small squash left over from Halloween and this made enough for 4 large bowls of soup.  The great thing with this soup is you can use any curry paste that you like or that you have to hand so ideal to use up anything you have in your cupboard.

Mark’s top tip - The skin of the squash is quite tough however a vegetable peeler is ideal to remove the skin!

Tom Yum Soup

Tom Yum Soup

• 500g organic chicken pho broth
• 6 lime leaves, bruised
• 6 coriander stems, bruised
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp galangal paste
• 1 large green chilli, thinly sliced
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut into several pieces
• 1 tomato, deseeded and cut into small cubes
• 150g raw king prawns, deveined 
• Small pinch of fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

Place the chicken broth into a medium sized pan and bring to a slow boil.  Add the galangal, lime leaves, coriander stems and lemongrass, simmer for around 10 minutes, basically we want to infuse the flavours into the broth.  

Add the fish sauce, lime juice, chillies, tomato and prawns to the pan and simmer until the prawns turn pink, divide between two bowls and garnish with the coriander.

We are both lovers of Thai food but it’s not something I have really made before.  We have always had this dish when eating out and love the hot and sour flavour so I thought I would give it a go and boy am I glad I did.  This soup is so flavoursome and has a real kick, definitely something to have when you are getting a cold, it will clear it straight up!  Whilst I have used pho broth you can use a chicken stock cube if you are unable to find the broth, I got mine from Ocado.  In the recipe, when I refer to bruising, basically this means you use the flat of a large chopping knife and bang down, bruising the ingredient.

I can honestly say this was on a par, if not better, than a lot of similar soups we have had in restaurants, you can swap the seafood for chicken or tofu, this is my version, I hope you enjoy.

Carrot, chilli and red lentil soup

Carrot, chilli and red lentil soup

Well all I can say is this soup is especially perfect this time of year, warming and filling, just what you need!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 long red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 750g carrots, cut into rough chunks
• 100g dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Small handful of chopped coriander
• Sour cream

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over a medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, then cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.  Add the curry powder and tomato purée, then cook for 1 minute more or until fragrant.

Add the carrots and lentils.  Stir, then add the tomatoes, stock and 1 litre of water.  Season and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45-60 minutes until the carrots are tender.  Cool slightly, then blend using a stick blender until smooth.  Stir in the lemon juice and bowl up, adding a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of coriander to each bowl.

Whilst the recipe calls for mild curry powder I only had hot, however this was perfect as we love a bit of a kick as you know!  I made this as a starter for a recent dinner party, the main being my Nice n Spicy Beef Curry - I therefore served some sliced naan bread with the soup instead of bread or rolls.  

This is such a tasty soup and soooo easy to make, it went down well and I will definitely be making it again soon once I have gotten through the portions I froze!  This recipes serves 6 with decent sized portions.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious magazine.