Squash laksa soup

“Spice and heat work so well in a butternut squash soup – I’m loving this Malaysian-style twist ”

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 dried red chilli
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 2-3 fresh red chillies , deseeded
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger , peeled
• 1 large bunch fresh coriander , leaves picked, stalks reserved
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 limes , zested and halved
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 800 ml unsweetened light coconut milk
• 300 ml organic chicken stock
• 200 g rice noodles
• 1 red chilli , deseeded and sliced, optional
• cress , to serve, optional

Method

1. Spice things up with this delicious Malay dish.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Halve the squash, deseed, then cut into 8 slices or chunks (skin on) and put into a roasting tray. Bash up the dried chilli and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar. Sprinkle over the squash, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes.
3. Finely chop or whiz the chillies, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks in a food processor. Add the sesame oil, lime juice, zest and fish sauce and whiz to a thin paste.
4. Heat a large pan or wok. Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and quickly stir in the paste. Cook for about a minute before adding the coconut milk and chicken stock.
5. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste – you may need to add fish sauce, lime juice or a bit of salt and pepper.
6. Add the noodles to the soup, simmer for a few minutes, then divide between 4 bowls. Break over 2 pieces of squash. If you like, top with sliced red chilli and cress.
7. Tip: For a quick fix, use a good laksa paste instead of making your own.
    

Source: Jamie Oliver