Soups & stews
Thai coconut squash soup bowl
Squash recipes don't get much more exciting than this one: a fragrant, Asian coconut soup is cooked inside a hollowed-out squash and then served as it is, to be eaten straight out of the shell. Small squashes work best for this recipe. Red onion or Kabocha are perfect as they are the ideal size for single portions. If you’ve got a slightly bigger squash, share between two and take it in turns to dig in.
Cook's notes
The seeds from the squash can be washed, dried, and roasted in olive oil and sea salt to make a tasty zero waste snack or garnish.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 small red onion or kabocha squash
- 1 400ml tin coconut milk
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 4cm piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
- ½ red pepper, seeds removed & diced
- 50g noodles, we used soba noodles
- 1 stick lemongrass, split open using a rolling pin
- 1 cinnamon stick
To garnish:
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 spring onion, shaved into lengths with a peeler
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- cashew nuts (optional)
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas mark 5. With a sharp knife, carefully cut off the top few inches of the squash, to create a lid. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds (see notes for a recipe suggestion).
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Step 2
Use the back of a spoon to spread the peanut butter and curry paste all around the inside of the squash. Pour in coconut milk until it’s about ¾ way full (you probably won’t need all of it), then add the ginger, garlic, red pepper, lemongrass and cinnamon. Season generously with salt and pepper and give it a gentle mix.
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Step 3
Transfer to the oven, with the lid off (place the lid next to the squash so it cooks too), and cook for 45 minutes.
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Step 4
When the 45 minutes is nearly up, cook the noodles as per packet instructions. Remove the squash and lid from the oven, add the noodles, and cook for a final 5 minutes, with the lid on.
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Step 5
When done, the squash should be browned on the outside and soft to touch all the way round. Cooking times may vary, depending on the size of your squash.
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Step 6
Place the squash on a plate and remove the lid. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemongrass, and garnish with the spring onions, chillies, lime zest and cashews, if using. Pop the lid back on and serve. Be sure to use your fork to scrape the squash out as well as the soup as you eat.