I concocted this soup recipe to serve in pretty vintage punch glasses for my friends’ wedding. It provides a big mouthful of flavors- salty, sweet, spicy, and herbaceous, so it works well as an amuse bouche or an appetizer when served this way or even in tiny shot glasses. It is also a perfect hearty (yet still) vegan soup if you’re feeling like a big bowl of warming spices and pure deliciousness on a cold an rainy day.
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE SOUP
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 inch knob of ginger peeled and cut into thin coins
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green chili seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon good quality curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups of water or veggie broth
- 1 medium butternut squash 2-3 lbs, peeled and cubed
- 1 can coconut milk
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE CROUTONS
- ½ loaf of day old gluten free baguette cut into tiny cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tandoori spice (or hot madras curry powder)
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SOUP
- Sauté onions, ginger, and spices in coconut oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven until onions begin to soften– about five minutes
- Add butternut squash and water and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil and cook until butternut squash becomes exceedingly tender 20 or so minutes.
- Working in batches, add butternut squash, onions, and some of the cooking liquid to the bowl of your food processor and puree until very smooth.
- Once all of the soup is puréed, return to pot, stir in the coconut milk and cook for a few minutes longer. You can put the soup through a food mill if you like to get it super smooth; I did not.
- FOR THE CROUTONS
- Heat oven to 375º, and like a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Toss bread cubes with olive oil and tandoori spice to coat
- Bake for about 5 minutes until bread is nice and crispy
I'm imagining how this soup must taste and I have to say, I really like it. Butternut squash soup tends to be a little bland to me but after tasting a friend's curry powder infused vegetable soup last night, I can see how good it would be with the squash. I'll have to bookmark this recipe.
Thank you so much, Jean. It was really lovely, and I think aside from the cake, this was the favorite dish at the party. I love butternut squash, but I agree that it can be one note and a little to sweet. Hopefully you’ll enjoy this one.
Close-up of croutons looks great, you can really see the spice (and even smell it!). Those were some lucky guests!
Thanks Ilke! I love making homemade croutons. So simple and totally over the top delicious.
I was a lucky hostess too.
Looks beautiful! I recently made a curried butternut squash soup, but it wasn't vegan. I love the idea of adding coconut milk instead! Brilliant. I also need to try those croutons!