Gently Spiced Thai Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Two bowls of Thai butternut squash soup topped with herbs and chillies on a black tray

(Image credit: Future)

The toppings make this soup recipe, but you can pick which ones you use. Crispy fried shallots are available in Asian shops and some grocery stores, but you can either omit or fry your own if you can’t find them.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

1 lb 7 oz (650 g) peeled, deseeded and diced butternut squash
2 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
4 small Thai shallots or 2 normal shallots, sliced
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
2 lemongrass sticks, trimmed and sliced
2 red chillies
- 1 deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 finely sliced
2 garlic cloves
1⅔ cups (400 ml) light coconut milk
1⅔ cups (400 ml) vegetable stock
Light soy sauce, to taste
Ground black pepper
Lime juice, to taste
To serve
- Handful cashews, toasted and crushed
- Small handful coriander sprigs
- 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)
Toss the squash with the oil, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, roughly chopped chilli and garlic cloves in a roasting tin (like this Hexclad non-stick roasting pan from Amazon which is one of our Cookware Editor's best roasting pan picks). Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour, until very tender.
Tip half of the squash mixture into one of the best blenders with the coconut milk and blitz until very smooth. Pour into a large saucepan.
Blitz the remaining squash mixture with the vegetable stock. Add this to the first batch in the pan and stir well.
Put the pan over a low heat and gently bring to the boil, stirring often. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then season to taste with soy sauce, black pepper and lime juice.
Divide the soup between warmed bowls (these Mori matte black soup bowls from CB2 will make the vibrant orange soup the star) and scatter with the toasted cashews, coriander sprigs, sliced chilli and crispy fried shallots (if using) just before eating.

If you like soups with Asian flavours, try this zingy Chicken and Noodle Soup with a Gingered Broth. It's a lighter but equally flavorful option.

Alice Hart is a food writer and recipe developer, working across a wide variety of media, from magazines to books. Alice’s recipe books are based on wholesome produce and seasonal eating, and while she takes a balanced approach, using wholefoods and vegetables wherever possible, she also finds joy in an excellent cake. Alice is also invested in sports nutrition and is a Level 3 personal trainer, a seasoned endurance sports competitor and a trained chef.