What the heck is a blue hubbard squash?! Yea, I was wondering the same thing.... It surprisingly popped up in my garden this year. Blue hubbard squash is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, along with pumpkins and gourds. It definitely resembles the appearance of a gourd and tastes similar to a pumpkin. Check it out:
One of my favorite Indian foods is dahl soup, which is typically based on red lentils. Red lentils are very small in size so they are very quick to cook. I decided to add in this blue hubbard squash to make the soup extra creamy. It turned out AMAZING, especially with my "twist" to go on top. I hope you like it as much as my family and I did. You can also make this recipe using pumpkin, and I'm sure butternut squash, kabocha squash or acorn squash would also be lovely. Let me know if you try it out with a different squash!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 1 can of coconut milk, or about 1.5 cups homemade
- 2 cups red lentils, soaked and rinsed (soak in filtered water and sea salt 6-8 hours or overnight)
- 1 medium sized blue hubbard squash, peeled and chopped (google directions on how to do this. It's not as scary as it looks! My squash yielded about 5-6 cups, but you can add more or less to your soup-see in directions below)
-1 tbs ground coriander
-2 tbs ground cumin
-2 tbs ground ginger (you can also use ginger root instead)
-2 tbs ground turmeric
-1 tbs cardamom
-1 tsp salt
Topping ingredients:
-1/2 tbs coconut oil
-2 tsp ginger root, diced very small
-1/2 tbs hemp seeds
-1/2 tbs coconut flakes
-pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1. On high heat, boil the water using a large stove-pot
2. Once the water is boiling, add in the red lentils (make sure to rinse them first). blue hubbard squash (about 4-5 cups), and all of the spices. Allow this to come to a boil again.
3. Once it's boiling, turn heat down to low simmer, add in coconut milk, stir once, and cover for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is tender.
4. If you decide you would like to use more of your blue hubbard squash, bake the squash in an oven on 400 degrees coated in olive oil until tender, before adding it to the soup mixture.
5. When the soup has about 5 minutes left to cook, begin preparing your topping.
6. In a small skillet on medium heat, add coconut oil until melted.
7. Add in chopped ginger, letting it cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Add in hemp seeds, coconut flakes, and salt to the skillet, stirring quickly for 15-30 seconds. Remove from the flame and continue to stir for another 30 seconds.
9. Optional step: When the soup is ready, feel free to blend a few cups worth of soup for a thinner consistency.
10. Serve as a soup or pour over basmati rice. Add the skillet mixture to the top of your soup and enjoy!