Skip to main content

Recipe: Coconut-Galangal Soup in Squash Shell

Talk about falling down on the job. Sorry this post is running late but we just got done with a restock so drop by and check out what we got. Back to the regularly scheduled post.

For today's recipe I opted for an Asian fusion dish. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day here in America, but this holiday has little to no meaning outside of the US. As such, there aren't really any specifically Asian dishes for this holiday. There are, however, Asian tastes that can be applied to your meal to spice it up a little, and offer a bit of a twist on the traditional meal. Click below to see today's recipe.

Read More


Choose between two presentations for this recipe of intense Thai flavors. The first, more dramatic, is served in a whole pumpkin that is steamed with the soup inside. When serving, you may scoop out bits of cooked pumpkin meat although the flavor of the squash is in the soup.

The second is cooked with diced kabocha squash and is served in a tureen or individual soup bowls. This is much easier and faster but less dramatic. However, kabocha squash is sweeter and more complex in flavor than pumpkin. Select your squash carefully if you're going to serve the soup in the pumpkin shell. It has to fit in your cooking pot.

Ingredients:

One 6- to 10-pound squash that will fit whole in a stockpot or Dutch oven with at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches of space around, below and above, or about 2 cups peeled and diced kabocha squash

5 to 6 cups turkey broth or chicken broth

2 stalks of lemongrass

A 2- to 3-inch piece fresh galangal, thinly sliced, or 6 to 8 dried pieces

4 small, whole shallots, peeled and crushed

8 to 10 Thai chiles, stemmed and crushed, or 4 to 6 serrano peppers, sliced (with seeds)

6 fresh magrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn to small pieces

2 cups sliced mushrooms

4 cups (or 2 bags) frozen coconut milk

4 to 6 tablespoons fish sauce, to desired saltiness

Freshly ground white pepper

Juice of 2 or more limes

1 to 2 tablespoons palm sugar

Cilantro leaves or short sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

For the whole pumpkin service:

1. Cut off and discard the top of the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and stringy flesh, leaving a 1 1/2-inch wall of squash flesh. If you wish, stencil and carve the pumpkin. Make sure the pattern only etches the skin of the squash because you need puncture-free walls to hold the soup.

2. Make sure you have a stockpot, steamer or Dutch oven with lid that the pumpkin will fit into. There should be 1-inch of space between pumpkin and lid. Place a trivet or round cake rack into the water. Select a pie plate, shallow bowl or curved plate into which the pumpkin fits snugly. Water should not touch the squash directly. Bring 1 to 3 inches of water to a boil in the pot, then reduce heat to a simmer. Place the bowl on the trivet and lower the squash into it. Cover and cook over high heat.

3. Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a medium-size pot. Place the lemongrass in a medium-hot oven for about 5 minutes. Remove, cut into 2-inch lengths and bruise with a mallet or the back of a cleaver. Add the galangal, lemongrass and shallots to the soup, return to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Add the chiles and lime leaves. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes, then stir in the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add the coconut milk, stirring until it becomes well blended with the broth and comes back to a simmer.

5. By this time, the hollowed squash in the steamer should be partially cooked. Add boiling water to the steamer as necessary. Pour the simmering soup into the pumpkin. Cover the pot and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the flesh of the pumpkin is just tender. It is important to keep plenty of boiling water around the pumpkin all the time. Test the squash flesh with a knife. It should insert easily. However, the squash should hold its shape.

6. To finish the soup, add fish sauce, white pepper and lime juice. Balance the tartness of lime juice with enough palm sugar so the flavor of the coconut milk comes through. Top with cilantro.

Remove the pumpkin by lifting the pie plate it cooked on. Place on an attractive platter. Bring the entire pumpkin to the table. To serve, ladle out the soup. If desired, scoop a touch of the inner pumpkin flesh into the soup.

For the alternative service:

Begin at step 3, adding the kabocha squash with galangal and lemongrass. Skip step 5. To serve, pour into individual serving bowls or into a tureen and bring to the table.

Serves 10 to 12

For more recipes check out SFGATE.

Picture courtesy: floodllamma

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Austin's New Hangout for the Filipino Foodie

We moved to Austin, Texas! and have been searching for new places to find Authentic Filipino food near our house. So we found a couple places and went on a foodie adventure. Kapatad Kitchen and Cafe popped up in our search. So off we went to try it out.  Location:  3742 Far W Blvd Suite 113, Austin, TX 78731 Hours:  Closed on Mondays Tuesdays 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM Wednesday-Sunday 11AM - 2:30 PM & 4:30 PM-8:00 PM Phone number:  512-338-6003 You know the saying, "First impression is the last impression". Well here is our first impression! 1. Entry: You are greeted with a welcoming smile by the staff. 2. Decor: It's simple but has a culturally sophisticated feel when you sit down. There are framed photos presenting the Philippine culture all over the wall. 3. Food: First dishes we tried were sisig, Lechon kawali, and dinuguan (pork blood pudding). All I can say is, Yummy in my tummy! I haven't had authentic tasting sisig in a long time! Portions are significant and...

Cooking Vietnamese Pho with Chef Quang Le

Cooking with Chef Quang Le Researching food and spices is a part of our family's daily routine since we ventured into the food industry. Learning about the different components of food makes us appreciate every dish, snack, and drink that we consume. We take every opportunity that we can to continue learning about the flavors of the world. This weekend, I organized a class with a local Vietnamese chef who loves to entertain and educate people through food. Chef Quang Le, co-owner of Clay Pot in Waco Texas, had agreed to teach a class on how to cook traditional Vietnamese Pho.  The class is sponsored by the Association of Asian-American Women in San Angelo, Texas. It was such a refreshing class complete with food history, health benefits, recipe book, and entertainment.  So What is Vietnamese Pho Soup? Vietnamese Pho Soup is considered the national dish of Vietnam. It can be seen as a mirror that reflects the heritage of the Vietnamese people and their w...

Japanese Dorayaki Minis

Dorayaki Yummy's Japanase Dorayaki (also known as Mikasa) is one of Japan's popular classic confectioneries. It is red bean paste sandwiched between two pancakes. Oh that's nothing special! You say. Oh but it is! Sometimes the simpliest things in life are the most overlooked.  Dorakayi can also be made with other paste. One of our house favorites is with  red bean  and chestnuts paste. Another is to make it with  matcha  and  coarse red bean paste . Your tastebuds is your imagination. Add chocolate to it or peanut butter. Here's a simple recipe to making your own dorayaki. TADA! DONE! No seriously! it really is that simple but I will humor you with a recipe because we all have our own way of making pancakes. And me, being me, I have a habit of tweeking just about any recipe I come across. Of course, you want to try the original recipe before you go around exprimenting with it. Because sometimes, THAT recipe is just perfect for you...