RED KURI CREAMY SOUP
A creamy fall soup with a deep miso flavor, this dish tastes that it can be served in a restaurant, yet it is extremely nourishing. Winter squash is such an underrated food. With so many varieties to enjoy, fall and winter are the seasons to get baking, blending, and roasting these delicious gourds.
This dish, however, calls for my favorite way to prepare a squash: pressure cooking. It’s fast, easy, and requires no struggling with a knife. Of course, if you don’t have a pressure cooker (yet!), feel free to bake or boil the squash as the first step.
Ingredients
1 small red kuri squash
1 drizzle of toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp ginger, minced or pressed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
2 heaping tbsp miso paste
½ 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (reserve the rest for topping or store for later use)
1 c. veggie broth
Sesame seeds for topping
Method
Rinse off the squash and place it in your pressure cooker in a steamer basket with 2 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. When it has finished cooking, allow the steam to release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing it. Carefully open the lid and use utensils to take the squash out and set it aside to cool while preparing the aromatics for the soup.
In a soup pot, heat up the toasted sesame oil. Once hot, add the ginger, garlic, and shallots. Cook until soft and fragrant, about five minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix miso paste with a little hot water to thin down. Add to the pot and combine.
When squash is cool enough to handle, cut in half and scoop out the seeds to discard. Then scoop out the flesh and add to the pot. (Do not include the skin.) Partially mash with a wooden spoon while combining with aromatics, then stir in the coconut milk and veggie broth.
Bring to a boil then turn off the heat. Use your blender or immersion blender to blend the soup to smooth. Return to stove to heat once again. Top with sesame seeds and reserved coconut milk.