I love the simplicity of this soup. All the ingredients blend together to create a lovely sweet flavour. Kabocha, also known as buttercup squash, is my favourite squash. It has a wonderful sweet flavour and starchy texture that dissolves beautifully into the soup with just a little mashing by hand. Feel free to use any squash you would like in this recipe. For the best flavour, I recommend you choose sweeter varieties such as festival or butternut rather than the savoury types such as acorn or pumpkin.
The outer skin of winter squashes can be tough to cut through. Put a damp dish towel or silicone baking mat under the cutting board to prevent the board from sliding around while you cut the squash. Use a vegetable cleaver rather than a chef's knife, if you have one.
Pierce the tough outer skin near the stem with the tip of the knife. Rock the knife back and forth while pressing down with both hands. Work slowly and be mindful of your fingers. Once you cut through the first half, lift the squash and carefully pivot the knife in the squash. Turn the squash over and cut through the other side in the same way until the squash is cut all the way through. Don't try to remove the knife from the squash.
Once cut, scoop out the seeds, cut half the squash into quarters and peel each quarter. Cut the squash into strips and then cubes. Seed, peel, and cut the other half, and freeze for your next batch of soup.
makes 4-6 servings
1/2 of a 1-1.5 kg (2-3 lbs) Kabocha squash, seeded, peeled and cubed
1 medium Japanese sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups cooked or 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2.5 cm (1 inch) ginger, peeled and coarsely minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
6 cups water
1/4 of a green cabbage, cut into short ribbons
parsley to taste
To your health and happiness,
Beans and Rice