Chef Straykat Cooks No.14: SQUASH SOUP

Welcome to Chef Straykat Cooks! Where I cook whatever comes to mind with whatever ingredients available! Sounds like disaster, isn't it? No, no, no! This recipe was tested and tasted by no less than the chef's exquisite palate! Lol!🫰🏻

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While everyone is already preparing for Christmas, let's spend the remaining two weeks of fall season with a sumptuous squash soup!

I've always thought that squash soup is difficult to make but I found out that it's doable after looking up how to do it.

~ SQUASH SOUP ~

When we were kids, the adults would often tell us to eat squash because it helps in having clear eyesight. It's rich in vitamins A and C, zinc and lutein to name a few. If you're also trying to lose weight then adding squash to your diet is also good since it's high in fiber and make you feel full for a long time.

I've eaten squash mashed or boiled and mixed with vegetables when I was a kid. This is the first time I'm eating it as a soup. I was really excited how my first squash soup would turn out. And did you know that squash is not a vegetable but a fruit? I just want to add that here for a little trivia.

We all know the popular squash variant used for this soup is pumpkin. But for this recipe, I'm using kalabasa or winter squash. The skin of this variant is green.

To make this soup, we will also need a blender to breakdown all the solid ingredients and make a smooth texture of the soup.

	INGREDIENTS
	• 500g Squash (sliced)
	• 1/2 Medium Onion (diced)
	• 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
	• 1 1/2 Tsp Ginger (sliced)
	• 3 Cups Water
	• 1 Cup Evaporated Milk
	• 1 Chicken Broth Cube
	• 1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon Powder
	• Onion Leaves
	• 1 Tbsp. Butter
	• Ground Black Pepper
	• Salt
	• Oil

PROCEDURE

(1) Saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon in oil and butter in a pot. The amount of oil and butter should be enough to coat the ingredients to be sauteed. However, you can also add more butter for a richer flavor.

(2) Then add the sliced squash and a pinch of salt. Mix all the ingredients together. (You don't have to slice the squash into small pieces because it will get soft after boiling which will make it easier to breakdown when it gets processed in the blender.)

(3) Add water and bring to a boil. Then when it's boiling, add in the chicken broth cube. We add the broth cube when the water is boiling so that it dissolves quicker and does not settle at the bottom. Don't forget to stir after putting the broth cube.

(4) Continue boiling until the squash gets soft. Then remove from heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes. I let mine cool before pouring it into the blender because the jar of my blender is made of plastic. Maybe you can proceed immediately if your blender jar is made of glass. I also use a small type of blender so I have to divide the mixture into three parts.

When the mixture have cooled down, pour it into the blender and blend them together until the mixture turns smooth.

(5) Pour the mixture back into the pot and bring it back into the stove on low heat. Then add the evaporated milk and pepper. Add more salt as needed.

(6) Pour into bowls and lightly drizzle with more evaporated milk to make those aesthethic-looking swirls. You can also add some onion leaves if you want.

Serve warm and enjoy! ✨️

A Healthy Soup That is Easy to Make!

I'm impressed that my first try was a success! It tasted really good but if you are serving this on children then maybe it's good to add more milk to lessen the taste of ginger. If the little ones like ginger then there's no need to add more milk.

I also noticed that the soup becomes thicker when you reheat it after storing in the fridge because the milk can suspend on top of the soup better than when it was freshly cooked. I struggled so much making a design, I thought it was the easiest part of making the soup. Maybe I'm also bad at latte art. Lol.

This recipe makes about 4 servings. Perfect for a small family, but as for me, I was able to enjoy it for four meals. :)

Thank you and until the next recipe! ♡♡♡

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👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳
_{Chef Straykat has an experience of more than two years in her family's kitchen. Her goal is to deliciously cook whatever dish crosses her mind; to cook fast and without using measuring tools because that's how chefs do it.
In short, Straykat is a self-proclaimed chef. xoxo 🤌✨️}