Thai Spiced Squash & Sweetcorn Soup recipe

• 2 tbls olive oil
• large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
• a generous handful of frozen / 1 tin sweetcorn
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-3 tbls Thai red / yellow curry paste (check label if you need a vegan version as some will contain fish paste!)
• 1 tsp lemongrass paste
• 3-4 Thai lime leaves
• small chunk of chopped ginger
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes / cayenne pepper
• 3-4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can coconut milk
• a good squeeze of fresh lime juice / swirl of chilli oil to serve

1. Lightly fry onion & garlic for a couple of mins in the oil
2. Add ginger, curry paste, lemongrass pastes, stirring for a couple of minutes
3. Add your squash chunks, lime leaves, pepper flakes/cayenne and stock and bring to a gentle simmer (lid on)
4. Once squash is soft, add the sweetcorn and then transfer to a blender (or use a stick blender). Blitz until your soup is smooth and creamy
5. Pour in coconut milk, gently reheat and then add lime juice along with any extra seasoning to taste. Once your soup is blended you’ll have a better idea of how intense the flavours are, so you can tweak it to your own taste before serving. I like to top the soup with some roast peppers but you could top with fresh coriander, toasted coconut flakes or just serve straight from the pan!

Hint: Pre-roast the butternut squash as it gives the soup a deeper flavour, but if you’re pushed for time, it can go straight into the pan