Recipe: Six Senses Zighy Bay’s butternut squash soup

Squash soup at Six Senses Zighy Bay. Courtesy: Six Senses Zighy Bay

I just got my hands on a regional chef’s recipe for butternut squash soup and I immediately started salivating. Squash soup is one of my favourite mini meals. It’s easy to make; it’s good for you; and it’s super filling. It’s also delicious. This squash soup recipe is from Richard Lee, the executive chef at Six Senses Zighy Bay, a resort in the northern Musandam Peninsula in Oman. If you can’t find butternut squash, you can easily substitute pumpkin without sacrificing any flavour.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

500ml vegetable stock

500ml water

750g butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

2 red onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

60ml yogurt

1g ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

*Note: You can substitute pumpkin for butternut squash if preferred.

Method:

Pour the stock and water into a heavy-bottom pan and bring to boil. Add the squash, onions and garlic and return to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 15 minutes or until the squash is soft and smooth.

Drain the squash mixture in a colander, reserving the liquid. In a blender (or with a hand masher),

purée the mixture until smooth. You may need to add some of the reserved liquid to make

mashing easier. Return the squash purée to the pan and stir in enough reserved liquid to reach

the preferred consistency. Season with the nutmeg and cracked black pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and pour some of the yogurt into each bowl, creating a swirl pattern

on the top or alternatively sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve with fresh rye bread.