Ingredients:
- Several squashes of whatever variety, split and de-seeded. My faves are typically buttercup and butternut. I recommend cutting off a tiny bit of the stem end to make splitting them easier.
- 1-2 large onions roughly chopped, depending on how much squash you have. I used 2 for my batch.
- about half a head of garlic
- 2-4 carrots roughly chopped
- 4 inches or so of ginger, cut into slices
- 3 whole cloves
- curry powder, cayenne pepper, garam masala, nutmeg, cinnamon, or any other warming spice or spice mix. if you have any hot chilies on hand, you can use those, too. Red finger, habanero, fresno, bird's eye, bhut jolokia, ghost chili, fresh cayenne, trinidad scorpions would all be excellent additions depending on how hot you want it.
- 1-2 cans of coconut milk or coconut cream, depending on how rich and creamy you want it
- about a cup of masoor dal, aka red/orange lentils
- vegetable stock or water. I used both.
Procedure:
Oil and lightly salt the flesh side of the squash, then place cut side down in a pan and roast at 350F until soft and scoopable (easily pierced with a steak knife). toss onions, garlic, carrots, ginger and chilies if you're using them with oil and a little salt, and then roast until golden-brown and tender. You may need to stir this mix occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning and to encourage even browning. Scoop the flesh of the roasted squash into a pot and add roasted onion mix and all remaining ingredients. Simmer until everything is very soft, then puree and adjust salt and spices to taste. You could save the seeds and roast them as a crunchy garnish for your soup, especially since you're going to be using the oven anyway.