Butternut soup is close to the top of the list of South Africa’s favourite cold-weather comfort foods. With its gorgeous sunset colour, beautiful rich flavour and a touch of cinnamon, this soup is fantastic served with warm crusty bread.
“This recipe is so simple, and yet is the tastiest butternut soup ever! I am quite sure that the chilli pepper has a great deal to do with its success, it really is just a hint of a burn, but brings out the rich, nutty flavour of the squash perfectly. For this recipe to be truly wonderful, a home-made chicken stock is the ideal choice, so the little time it takes to boil up some chicken carcasses and herbs is well worth the trouble, there are loads of simple recipes for chicken and other stocks in almost every cookbook and on most cooking websites. If you don’t want to take the time to make your own stock though, then make one from a stock cube or powder. I do not honestly know what can be used as a substitute for the butternut squash, if it is not available in your country, because pumpkin does not work well, although it does look similar to a butternut in colour. The texture of a butternut is much smoother and finer than pumpkin, and it is a lot sweeter. Perhaps it is rather more like a sweet potato in both texture and colour than a pumpkin.”
Ingredients For South African Butternut Soup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 clove elephant garlic, chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 (3 1/2) pound butternut squash – peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons cream, or to taste
Also Read: Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Recipe
Directions For Making South African Butternut Soup
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, jalapeno, and elephant garlic and cook until onions are soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and lemon juice until well mixed. Add butternut squash and water; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender and soup is thick, about 1 hour. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Ladle hot soup into bowls and swirl cream in the center of each bowl just before serving.
