This soup is so good, that people will do anything to get their hands on it. This isn’t an exaggeration – a portion of this beautiful Thai inspired soup destined to be my lunch one afternoon went missing, tub and all, from my office kitchen. To this day we don’t know who ‘soup thief’ is – who, in turn also stole a sandwich at the same time – and I never saw that tub again. It’s all excitement at my work, I tell you.

Before it was stolen, it began life in a large Le Creuset pot, filled with lightly spiced cubes of butternut squash, creamy coconut broth and spindly lengths of vermicelli noodles. Handfuls of not-so-authentic spinach are stirred through right at the last minute, to wither slightly before being ladled into bowls and topped with fresh mint and a twist of black pepper. It’s so simple, warming and full of goodness, that I can almost forgive the soup thief for their crime. If they were after a hug in a bowl, that is indeed what they stole.

I came across this recipe a few months ago, going through back issues of delicious magazine in search of some new dinner inspiration. The original recipe cites two servings, but I believe you can stretch it to three easily or four for lunch-sized portions. If you eat a gluten free diet, this is a perfect new recipe for you – just ensure you use gluten free stock cubes and that your noodles have been packaged in a gluten-free zone. You can also make it a little more authentic with pak choi leaves, but I like the simplicity of spinach – plus its cheaper. Filling enough to be made on a weeknight for dinner then packaged up for office-based lunches, it’s the perfect way to ensure you have a meal filled with goodness whilst sitting at your desk. I’d probably advise some sort of Ross Geller-inspired ‘my soup!’ sticker on the Tupperware though, just to avoid causing a scene if it does go missing.

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 Adapted from delicious. magazine December 2011

 

You Will Need

2 tbsp thai red curry paste

450g butternut squash (around half), diced into 1cm pieces

400g can of full fat coconut milk

400ml vegetable or chicken stock

2 nests or one long sheet of dried vermicelli rice noodles

100g fresh spinach (or two heads of pak choi if you’re feeling authentic, leaves shredded)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mint leaves and cracked black pepper to serve

Place a large stock pot over a medium heat and once hot, add the curry paste and fry for a minute. Add the squash cubes and stir to coat with the curry paste, cooking for 2 minutes. Cover the squash with the contents of the coconut milk can and the stock and stir to combine. Simmer for around 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

With your hands, break the noodles into smaller chunks and add to the soup, stirring to combine and cooking for three minutes. Add the chopped spinach and stir through until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste then remove from the heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with cracked black pepper and mint leaves.