ASIAN PUMPKIN SOUP
Even soup is more flavourful when you cook it in the Big Green Egg because while your soup is simmering, it absorbs the subtle charcoal flavour from your kamado. The pumpkin soup in this recipe has even more flavour because you first grill the butternut squash on the cast iron grid in the Big Green Egg. By adding extra flavour bombs, including lime, lemongrass and curry paste, the pumpkin soup acquires a mouth-watering Asian twist.
IN ADVANCE
Light the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat with the Cast Iron Grid to a temperature of 200 °C.
In the meantime, peel the butternut squash and cut off the necks. Cut the necks of butternut squash into slices lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds from the bottoms of the squash and put them to one side. Brush the cut sides of the squash slices and bottoms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Peel and chop the banana shallots and garlic into coarse pieces. Remove the stem and seeds from the chilli pepper and coarsely chop the flesh. Bruise the lemongrass. Cut the lime half in half again.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Place the bottoms of the squash with the cut side on the grill and place the squash slices next to them. Close the lid of the EGG and grill the squash for 2-3 minutes. Turn the squash ends one quarter and turn the squash slices over and grill again for 2-3 minutes. Remove the squash from the EGG.
Remove the Cast Iron Grid and install the convEGGtor and the Stainless Steel Grid with the Green Dutch Oven on top. Close the lid of the EGG and preheat the Dutch Oven for about 5 minutes. The temperature will drop to 140°C. Try to maintain this temperature.
Drizzle olive oil into the pan and add the grilled squash slices, shallot, garlic, chilli pepper, lemongrass, lime, kaffir lime leaves and coriander: place the bottoms of the squash and a few coriander leaves to one side as garnish and as a vessel for the soup. Mix in the curry paste and heat the squash mixture for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and closing the lid of the EGG in between stirs.
Deglaze the squash mixture with the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Stir, close the lid of the EGG and leave the pumpkin soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash is soft.
Remove the Dutch Oven from the EGG and remove the lemongrass, lime slices and kaffir lime leaves. Purée the soup with a hand blender. Ladle half the soup into the hollowed out squash bottoms and the other half into two bowls and garnish with the remaining coriander.
| 2 | Butternut squash |
| 3 tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 | Banana shallot |
| 1 clove | Garlic |
| 1/2 | Red Spanish chilli pepper |
| 1 stalk | Lemongrass |
| 1/2 | Lime |
| 4 | Kaffir lime leaves |
| 2 sprigs | Coriander |
| 1 tbsp | Yellow curry paste |
| 1 l | Vegetable stock |
| 200 ml | Coconut milk |