I first made this soup at Fairyhouse Cookery School a few years ago and was mad about it. It has since become a regular feature both at home and at cookery lessons where the punters always love it! It is a really hearty and filling soup and perfect for lunch or even as a lighter evening meal. It is particularly suitable for wet & windy days like today!I really like to make my own curry paste for this as it really gives wow factor to this soup. I have given you a simple recipe below for it and it keeps well in the fridge for weeks as long as it is covered with a little oil and a lid. It also freezes well so if you do go to the effort, you can use it over and over. If you are buying the curry paste, try and get a more authentic type such as Mae Ploy.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable/groundnut oil for cooking
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 butternut squash (cubed, not too big)
• 1 small sweet potato, cubed (same size as squash)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons curry paste (homemade recipe below/shop bought or if not available, add grated ginger, chilli, lemongrass or lemon zest)
• 400 ml vegetable/chicken stock
• 200 ml coconut milk (the rest of the tin can be frozen)
• Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

1. Heat a large saucepan.
2. When good and hot, add oil & sweat onion with a pinch of salt for 5 mins
3. Add garlic for 1 minute
4. Add butternut squash and sweet potato and sauté for 5 mins with lid on
5. Stir through curry paste to coat all veg
6. Pour over the stock and cover
7. Simmer for at least 10 mins
8. Check veg is soft by inserting a knife
9. Blend with either a stick blender or in a food processor
10. Return to pot, whisk in the coconut milk and fresh coriander
11. Check for seasoning & serve

Homemade Thai Curry Paste

• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 5 fresh red chillies, chopped coarsely
• 2 green chillies, chopped coarsely
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 4 onions, chopped roughly
• 2 sticks of fresh lemongrass
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• zest of half a lime
• A tablespoon or so of Sesame Oil to loosen (use the groundnut or vegetable oil if you don’t have sesame)

Toast the seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Remove to a pestle & mortar and grind until fine.Check how hot your chillis are by tasting a little. If they are very hot, you may want to reduce the quantity of chilli in the paste. Add all the other ingredients to a food processor and whizz until you have a paste.