Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2½ teaspoons finely chopped garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 5½ cups water
- 4 ribs celery, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1½ cups corn kernels
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 5 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed kabocha squash (see Notes)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a soup pot over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the onion, and cook while stirring for 3 minutes, adding a little water as needed. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook while stirring for another minute, still adding water as needed.
- Add the 5½ cups water, celery, tomatoes, corn, and curry powder, and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the squash and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the squash is tender but not mushy.
- Stir in the fresh basil. Serve as is, chunky with broth, or blend a portion (or all) of the soup for a creamier base (see photos below). Eat as is or garnished with additional chopped basil and/or black pepper.
Notes
Squash types: You can really use any type of winter squash for this recipe, including butternut and acorn, but I used Kabocha. It has a sweet and nutty flavor. You can also use half squash and half sweet potato/yam if you like.
Cutting squash: There are so many different techniques to cut winter squash! Kabocha squash is very hard, so if you have not cooked with it before, you may want to watch a video or two on YouTube to give you some pointers. The skin of Kabocha squash is edible, but I peel it off for this recipe. Because it’s so hard, it’s important to be safe during cutting, so please check out a video first.
Curry powder: I used a medium curry powder, but feel free to use a mild or hot curry powder, depending on your spice preference.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins