The weather in Berlin continues to suck, shocking exactly no one. So, when I got back from a long bike ride today (more on that tomorrow), I was thoroughly chilled and craving hot soup. My local grocery store has these pretty Red Hokkaido squashes that look like smallish, bumpy pumpkins (I think they’re in the Hubbard squash family). I made a simple soup out of one by roasting it whole next to half an onion and a couple cloves of garlic in a hot oven (Boy, things cook quick at sea level! It’s like a miracle…), and then stick-blendering the whole mess with some broth, coconut milk, and curry powder. Easy peasy. But the real pièce-de-résistance was the popcorn.
This isn’t my trick, but I can’t remember where I learned it, so I can’t give credit where it’s due. Anyway, I suppose you can find like a thousand similar recipes on the old Interwebs: What you’re going for is basically a creamy/crunchy contrast. Popcorn fits the bill, but so do granola, roasted-and-salted pepitas, chopped green onion–all kinds of things, as long as they’re quick! (Brittles and their ilk are too chef-y for me, as I don’t like to go to a lot of work for what’s essentially a garnish.) I did manage to sprinkle some shichimi togarashi on the popcorn and chop up half an apple to achieve a couple more easy contrast levels (sweet/salty and cool/hot). Super yum.
Coconut-Curry Squash Soup with Spicy Popcorn and Apples
This isn’t so much a recipe as a mash-up, so adjust everything to preference: thicker or thinner soup, spicier or sweeter or more sour, etc. Serves 4 as a main; 6 as a starter.
- 1 Red Hokkaido squash (about 1 kg/2 pounds) A large butternut or smallish pumpkin would make a nice sub
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 2 large garlic cloves (or more, to taste–you’re going to roast them, so they’re quite mild)
- 1/2 can full-fat coconut milk (half the fat, half the milk)
- 1 1/2 C chicken or veggie broth (or water)
- 1 t each fresh grated ginger and turmeric (I happened to have them, but powder is fine; do 1/4 t each in that case)
- 2 t curry powder of choice (I mix my own, but garam masala will give you a mild flavor, and something like vindaloo will give you some heat)
- juice of 1/2-1 lime (depending on size and how tangy you like it)
- salt to taste (I did about 1/2 t as I was using a chicken bouillon that was already salty, and I wanted to save some salt for the popcorn)
- at least 4 C popcorn (make a generous amount so people can throw in more as they eat), seasoned with salt and shichimi togarashi (I did about 1/2 t of each, but again….)
- 1 apple, diced
- chopped scallions if you like; I’d do 2, light green and white parts only
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Stab squash all over to center with sharp, thin knife. Snap off stem. Put squash, half onion, and garlic cloves (all skin-on) into baking dish and bake until soft and brown in spots; onion and garlic will take about 15 minutes, and squash will take about 1/2 hour–it should have brown spots all over and be saggy; poke with knife to check, and if it slides in easily to the center in a few different spots, it’s done.
Allow squash to cool a bit so you can handle it: split it open, scrape out seeds/strings, and then scrape cooked flesh off skin into pot. Skin and chop roasted onion half roughly and add to pot; squeeze roasted garlic from skins into pot. Add broth and spices and bring to a simmer; simmer for about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Blend with stick blender in pot until smooth, or transfer to blender in batches and blend, being careful not to overfill and to vent top of blender (and keep your hands away!). Add coconut milk and cream to blended soup in pot and let come to a simmer again. Take off the heat and stir in lime juice; taste for acid and salt. Portion into bowls, add popcorn and apple (and scallion if using), and serve immediately with leftover popcorn for adding at the table.
The Rookery 