Thai Kabocha Squash Soup Recipe
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- February 5, 2020
- 18 Comments
Categories: Feature, Entrees, Gluten-free/gluten-free adaptable, Recipes, Soups, Vegetables
One of my goals in creating recipes to teach in my classes is to introduce my students to healthy, whole ingredients that they don’t know what to do with. I used to be really intimidated by many types of produce and whole grains until I just decided to buy them and play with them on my own. It’s a risk, of course, if you really have no idea what you’re doing because the experiment could end up in the trash instead of served up for dinner and money would be wasted as well. Both are a big bummer.
Kabocha squash is one of those ingredients that many of my students have seen at super markets and farmers markets in the fall and winter and they are both intrigued and unsure. (The other challenge is remembering how to pronounce it and not get Ka-BOW-cha confused with kombucha, the fermented beverage.) Kabocha squash is also known as Japanese pumpkin. I first had it steamed as part of a simple macrobiotic meal. I liked how dense and kind of nutty the flesh was. I remember being surprised that it was less sweet than I expected. Some people liken the flavor to chestnuts. I kind of think Kabocha as like a less watery, more intense pumpkin.
The second time I had it was in France when I taught a cooking retreat many years ago. I cut it into wedges, removed the seeds, rubbed melted coconut oil on it and sprinkled the wedges with salt and pepper and roasted it. Basic enough. After tasting the simply roasted kabocha, I made a simple tahini sauce with a little hot sauce. Even better.
I have experimented with Kabocha squash more over the years and I find that people who dislike the sweetness of roasted carrots, butternut squash or acorn squash, prefer the depth and savoriness of Kabocha. I decided to tweak my butternut squash soup recipe and use Kabocha plus give it some Thai flavors. BTW, I always use prepared Thai curry paste, never homemade. Thai curry paste is so easy to find clean and it usually has a dozen ingredients that are not normally in my fridge.
This turned out to be such an amazing soup. It’s rich, velvety, hearty and packed with flavor. You could swap any Thai curry paste that you like or you can also make this without and add some maple syrup for a sweeter soup. I love it with fresh cilantro or fresh mint or both! Add toasted pumpkin seeds or sauteed crispy quinoa for crunch and you’ve got a whole meal. This soup freezes really well, too.
Roasting the squash for 90 minutes does seem annoying, but it deepens the flavor of the squash. I have a feeling you could do this in the slow cooker for 5 or 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high, but I haven’t done it so I can’t guarantee the results. I have mentioned recently that we are eating a lot of soup for dinner lately and my husband and I are really liking how we feel. Soup is very digestible and very filling, so we tend to be satisfied with just a good size bowl of soup. It is much better (for sleep, blood sugar stability, weight management and more) to eat less at dinner and more for breakfast and lunch. If my son needs more food than a bowl of soup, he can make a slice of toast with avocado or smoked salmon and a piece of fruit after dinner. What are your thoughts on just soup for dinner? Is your family resistant?
I will repost your Instagram if you tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman! It makes my day to see your creations and when you share your pictures, you promote wellness and healthy food to your friends and family. Thank you!!
Also, I haven’t made a full-blown announcement yet, but my new book, Quicker Than Quick, is available for pre-order! My first public event will be on April 30th at Pages Bookstore in Manhattan Beach. More to come!
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Thai Kabocha Squash Soup
Author:Pamela
Serves:6, Makes about 8 Cups of Soup
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 pound kabocha squash, washed, quartered and seeds removed
- 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ Tablespoon fresh, peeled ginger, thinly sliced
- Optional: 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more to taste if you want a bit of sweetness
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade, divided
- 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (you will need to double this if your stock is unsalted)
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk, plus more for finishing
- 2 limes, cut into thirds
- handful fresh cilantro or mint leaves, sliced
- 2 red chiles (either Thai or Fresno,) sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the squash pieces cut side up in a roasting pan. Divide the ginger slices and maple syrup evenly amongst the squash cavities. Arrange the onion slices around the squash. Pour 2 cups of stock in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 90 minutes until squash is very tender.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool slightly or enough that you can handle them. Scoop the squash pulp from the skins and transfer to a large soup pot. Discard skins. To the soup pot add the onions, ginger (if desired, but this will add strong ginger flavor to the soup) and cooking liquid from the pan.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of stock, curry paste, sea salt and coconut milk to the soup pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup until smooth in the pot with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and/or maple syrup as desired.
- Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle each with a tablespoon of coconut milk, generous squeeze of lime, herbs and sliced red chiles.
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Comments
Elizabeth
Made this tonight for the first time. It was amazing! My husband also loved it. Thank you!
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PamelaModerator
I am so happy to hear that! I love this soup!
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Ora
Hi Pamala,
What should I do if I can’t find the Thai or Fresno Chilies?
Thank you!
Ora- Reply
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PamelaModerator
You can use a jalapeño pepper.
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Scott Bottomley
Would you recommend using yellow curry paste instead of red curry?
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PamelaModerator
Sure! Totally different flavor, but still delicious!
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Mommytrumpet
How many cups of kobacha purée are needed for this recipe? I’ve already roasted a bunch and it’s in my freezer in 4 cup ziploc bags. Thanks!
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PamelaModerator
Gosh, I really don’t know unfortunately. If I had kabocha puree in my freezer, I would wing it with the seasonings and keep tasting along the way. If I had to guess how much to use, perhaps go with 6 cups of puree. If you’d rather start with 4 since that’s how it’s frozen, do that with less of the seasoning ingredients.
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Cindy
I’ve been loving a local Thai restaurant’s Kabocha soup this month. It’s on the menu for a limited time, so when I saw kabocha squash at Whole Foods today I grabbed one. Thanks so much for the basics! The one they serve also has chicken, jalapenos, and Thai basil. The squash, or at least some of it is in chunks. Can’t wait to give this a try. Thanks again!
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PamelaModerator
i’m sure you can wing it a little and try to use this recipe to make it more like the one at your local restaurant!
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Alice
I have made this twice now, and it is amazing! It’s my new Fall favorite! I’ve even experimented adding in other vegetables I have to use up such as leeks, carrots, and chioggia beets. I could eat this all day everyday. Thanks!!
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Molly Harris
My bf and I made this soup this weekend and it was seriously one of the most delicious soups I have ever tasted. Takes time to roast the squash, so not fast, but super easy recipe. I was generous with the veggie stock paste and red curry paste. Just amazing!!! I’ll be making this all the time!!
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Mary Yamani
Hi Pamela,
Do you think I can use cashew milk instead of
coconut milk?Thank you,
Mary
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PamelaModerator
That should be fine. It’s not as rich as coconut milk, but cashew milk has some body.
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Julie
Hi! Can’t wait to try this! I had kabocha squash in a red curry sauce at Gjelina and it was such a great combo. Since the kabocha squash skins are edible after being cooked, could you just leave them on?
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PamelaModerator
The skins are not super tender though and you may not like the consistency of the soup. It won’t be velvety.
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nancy
Which Thai curry paste do you recommend purchasing?
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PamelaModerator
I used the red one from Thai Kitchen which is in many markets, but for yellow I love Mae Ploy which is available on Amazon and many smaller Asian markets..
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I come from a large Italian-American family with 28 first cousins (on one side of the family!) where sit-down holiday dinners for 85 people are the norm (how, you might ask – organization! But more on that later …).
Some of my fondest memories are of simple family gatherings, both large and small, with long tables of bowls and platters piled high, the laughter of my cousins echoing and the comfort of tradition warming my soul.
