Try this curried butternut squash soup recipe for a hit of immune-boosting spices. The weather might be heating up, but that doesn’t mean soups should be put on the backburner – they’re hydrating, filling and packed with nutritious veg.
Serves approximately 8
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1.25L water
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1tbsp cumin seeds
2tsp turmeric
1tbsp medium curry powder
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp chilli powder
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp vegetable stock (I used Bouillon)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Firstly, peel, chop and deseed the squash. Then, roughly slice the squash into 5cm chunks. Add to a large pan with the water and place on a low-medium heat. Allow the water to boil and bubble gently and cook for 30 minutes.
In the meantime slice the onion. Place into a pan with the oil and fry on a medium heat for about 2 minutes, beginning to golden. Then, add in the garlic cloves, cumin seeds, turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon and chilli powder. Stir and fry for a further two minutes or so.
When the onion mixture is done, pour into the pot with the butternut squash, followed by the vegetable stock and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir all of the ingredients together, and leave to cook until the 30 minutes are up.
When this is done, remove the soup from the heat and blitz until smooth with a hand blender (you can also use a normal blender – you may need to set the soup aside to cool first). Then, if necessary, place back on to the heat to warm back up, and serve.