Winter squash are amazing, aren’t they? You can place a colorful one on your table for decoration, and months later – months! – you can chop it up, roast it, and eat it. You can find one in the trunk of your car a few weeks after you forgot it was there, bring it to your kitchen, cook it, blend it, and enjoy a thick, creamy soup.
It’s the coconut of the North. Just as a coconut keeps you alive on a deserted island, winter squash will keep you alive – and healthy – through the toughest of winters. They’re packed with Vitamin A & C, omega 3 fatty acids, and beta-carotene.
If you’re living in the cold right now, but dreaming of somewhere tropical, then combine the best of both worlds – winter squash & coconut – in this recipe for Thai Coconut Soup with Kabocha Squash.
I used the leftover squash from my previous recipe – Soy Glazed Kabocha Squash – to whip up this easy Thai Coconut Soup. With the squash already roasted the day before, the prep time for the soup is minimal, making it a great idea for a busy weeknight dinner.
The two key spices for this Thai soup are Galangal & Lemongrass – essential flavors in Thai cuisine. I added just a touch of lemongrass powder to give the broth a hint of the warming, citrusy herb. Because the peppery, piney, lemony, floral flavors of galangal powder combine so well with squash and coconut, I added in a more potent dash of the ginger-like spice.
Spiced and slowly simmered, this Thai Coconut Soup with Kabocha Squash is a nourishing, delicious, must-make winter soup. Enjoy it as a side dish, or as a main dish with a bowl of brown rice.
Thai Coconut Soup with Kabocha Squash
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3-4 cloves garlic – crushed
- 1 tsp Season with Spice’s Galangal Powder
- 1/2 tsp Season with Spice’s Lemongrass Powder
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 red bell pepper – cut into small cubes
- 1-2 Thai dried red chili peppers – broken into half keep whole if you prefer less heat
- 1/2 medium kabocha squash or butternut squash – cut into bite-sized cubes, and roasted prior to preparing soup*
- 1 tsp coconut palm sugar or raw cane sugar
- Fish sauce or salt to taste
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- In a pot or sauce pan, combine vegetable broth, garlic, lemongrass powder, and galangal powder. On medium fire, bring soup to a boil.
- When soup begins to boil, reduce the fire to bring the soup to a simmer. Add in coconut milk, red bell pepper, and Thai dried red chili peppers. Stir occasionally.
- Let cook for about a minute, then add in the pre-roasted kabocha squash. Stir gently and keep it at a slow simmer.
- Once the squash is warmed through, and fragrant in the soup, season with fish sauce (or salt) and sugar.
- Squeeze in some lime juice. Taste and make adjustments if necessary. Serve warm.