Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Coconut and Chilli Soup

This is a great, warming soup that we are making now the weather is taking a chilly turn. The sweetness of the vegetables is tempered by the heat from the chilli and the sharpness added to the prawns. Serve with lots of bread.

The soup will keep in the fridge for 3 days and 2 weeks if frozen.

Ingredients

feeds 4

750 grams butternut squash cut into 3-4cm cubes

500 grams sweet potato

1 large white onion

1.5 pints chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon paprika

0.5 teaspoon chopped medium-hot red chilli

0.25 teaspoon very hot chilli powder

150 millilitres coconut milk

salt and pepper

sunflower oil

24 peeled uncooked king prawns 

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

juice of half a lime

1,     Preheat oven and oven dish to 200°c and prick sweet potatoes a few times. Peel the onion and chop roughly. Put a large non-stick saucepan on a medium heat. 

2,     When the oven is hot, put sweet potatoes in oven dish and cook - they will take about 40 minutes, but start to check them after 30 - you want the flesh very soft. Add a tablespoon of sunflower oil to the pan and start to fry the onions. Keep them moving, look for a little colour but they shouldn't brown. After about 3 minutes, add the paprika and cook for another minute to remove the bitter edge. 

3,     Add the cubed butternut squash to the pan and continue to fry together for another 3-4 minutes, keeping it moving all the time. Now add the stock and turn the heat down a little so that it's on a gentle simmer. After 5 minutes, add the chopped red chilli. Leave on the heat for a further 20 minutes.

4,     When the butternut squash is tender, use a masher to break it down slightly. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, slice open and scoop out the flesh. Add this to the butternut squash along with the chilli powder. Use a hand blender to blitz the soup. Alternatively, use a kitchen top blender and return to pan.

5,     Add the coconut milk to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave the soup on the lowest possible heat.

6,     Put a wok (or large heavy frying pan) on a high heat and add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil. When the oil is hot, add the prawns and fry for 10 seconds before adding the crushed garlic and then toss the prawns. Cook the prawns on this high heat for 2-3 minutes until they are light pink all over. Now add the lime juice and take off heat.

Serve in bowls or mugs and drop 5 or 6 prawns on top for a main dish or 3 for a starter.