Red kuri squash soup: an easy hand blender recipe
You bought a red kuri squash and now it's staring at you from the worktop? In 35 minutes it can become a smooth, gentle soup. Here is the recipe, how to blend without splashing, and how to choose the appliance that suits you.
The good news is that the most tedious job doesn't exist: you don't peel a red kuri squash. Its skin softens as it cooks and disappears when you blend it.
A good red kuri squash soup takes very little: squash cooked in just enough stock, an onion and a little cream at the end. The rest comes down to how you blend it.
If you have nothing to make it with yet, a simple hand blender is enough, and you will find several in our blenders collection.
The essentials
- The skin : keep it, once you have scrubbed the squash and removed the seeds.
- The quantities : 75 cl of stock for 1 kg of squash, which makes 4 bowls.
- The cooking : 20 to 25 minutes at a simmer, until a blade goes in without forcing.
- The blending : off the heat, with the shaft on the bottom before you start, and the cream added at the end.
The easy red kuri squash soup recipe
Let's start with the recipe, since that's probably why you're here. These quantities make 4 bowls. Allow 10 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1 red kuri squash of about 1 kg
- 1 onion
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil or 20 g of butter
- 75 cl of vegetable or chicken stock
- 10 cl of single cream
- Salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
1. Cut the squash
Scrub the squash under running water, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then cut the flesh into cubes of about 3 cm, skin on.
2. Soften the onion
Slice the onion and soften it for 5 minutes over a medium heat in the oil or butter. It should turn translucent without browning, which keeps the soup mild.
3. Cook
Add the cubes, stir for a minute, pour in the hot stock and cover. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. It's ready when the tip of a knife goes into the flesh without forcing.
4. Blend and finish
Take the pan off the heat, blend for a good while, then add the cream and nutmeg. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and reheat gently if needed, without boiling.
The first step often surprises people opening a red kuri squash for the first time, because nothing gets peeled. Let's stop there for a moment.
Do you need to peel red kuri squash?
No. Unlike pumpkin and butternut squash, red kuri squash has a thin skin that softens as it cooks and blends in with the flesh. You save time and keep its lovely colour.
The only real work is cutting it. The squash is hard and round, so stand it on a damp tea towel to stop it slipping, and use a large, sharp knife.
Push the blade in near the stalk, then press down on the back of the knife with both hands. Once it's open, the squash is easy to cut.
One exception: if part of the skin is damaged or very hard, cut that piece away with a knife. There's no need to touch the rest.
Want a stronger flavour, closer to chestnut? Roast the cubes for 25 minutes at 200 °C with a drizzle of oil before blending them with the hot stock. Oven-roasted red kuri squash soup takes longer, but it has more character.
How do you blend without splashing?
The squash is cooked, the pan is scalding, and this is the one moment you could hurt yourself. The principle fits in one sentence: the blender shaft goes into the soup before you start and comes out after you stop.
Take the pan off the heat and wait a minute for the bubbles to die down. Rest the shaft on the bottom, tilted slightly, then start at a low speed.
Move it slowly, without bringing it up to the surface. When the pieces have gone, move up a speed for a good minute: that extra time is what makes the texture silky.
If you're using a countertop blender, let the soup cool for a quarter of an hour and fill the jug no more than halfway. Trapped steam can lift the lid.
Too thick or too thin: what can you do?
Once blended, your soup may not have the consistency you wanted, because a squash holds more or less water depending on its size and how it has been stored. Don't worry, it can all be fixed at this stage.
To thicken red kuri squash soup, the simplest way is to let it reduce for 10 minutes uncovered over a low heat. Next time, add a medium potato, cubed, at the start of cooking.
If it's too thick, add hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring between each one. Then taste it: the salt nearly always needs adjusting.
And if it's still grainy, it simply wasn't blended for long enough. Give it another minute before looking any further. This is also where the appliance makes a difference, which brings us to choosing one.
Which appliance should you choose for soups?
If you make soup now and then, go for a hand blender: it goes straight into the pan and there's almost nothing to wash. A countertop blender mainly makes sense if you cook for a lot of people or also want smoothies.
| Appliance | Where to blend | Texture | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand blender | In the saucepan | Smooth after long blending | Any quantity | Start with the shaft on the bottom |
| Countertop blender | In its jug | Very smooth | Large batches, soup poured at the table | Let it cool, and blend in batches if needed |
| Food mill | Over a mixing bowl | More rustic | If you like a coarser soup | Slower, and the skin often stays in the plate |
To decide between the two families of appliance, our guide chopper or blender: what's the difference looks at the question more broadly. For soup, here is what we would suggest depending on your situation.
If you want one appliance for soup and everything else, the 4-in-1 hand blender, 1200 W is the one we would look at first. Its 6 speeds let you start gently, and its 500 ml chopper bowl takes care of the onion.
The shaft comes off in one move and rinses under lukewarm water, which matters when it comes out covered in soup. The motor unit never goes in water.
If you're just starting out and don't want accessories to store, the 600 W Turbo hand blender is plenty for well-cooked vegetables. With its 304 stainless steel blades and Turbo function, it does the job without cluttering the drawer.
If you cook for one or two people, the compact 300 W hand blender is designed for small quantities. For a large family pan it will have to work for longer, so choose a more powerful model instead.
If you often have guests, the 2.5 L countertop blender pours at the table thanks to its handle and spout. It takes up more room and you have to let the soup cool first, so it would be too much for an occasional soup.
Other models are brought together in our multi-function food processors collection, such as the 4-in-1 hand blender, 1000 W, with a stainless steel body, if you're unsure about the power.
What should you serve with red kuri squash soup?
With the appliance chosen and the soup in the bowls, the enjoyable part is left. This soup is mild and slightly sweet, so it goes well with anything crunchy or sharp.
The simplest options are croutons rubbed with garlic or a slice of toast with goat's cheese, grilled. For a complete dinner, add a green salad and a piece of good bread.
As a topping, dry-toast some pumpkin seeds or hazelnuts, then crush them. An 11 cm granite pestle and mortar breaks them up in a few strikes without turning them to powder, but a knife works too if you don't have one.
Finish with a twist of the wooden pepper mill with a ceramic rotor, set to coarse using the knob on top. If you're unsure which type to choose, read electric or manual pepper mill.
Mistakes to avoid
Before moving on to your questions, here is what most often spoils a soup like this, and it's easy to avoid.
- Drowning the squash in stock: you can always add more, but you can't take it out without waiting.
- Blending on the heat: the bubbles rise and the soup jumps out of the pan.
- Starting the blender before it's in the soup: the first splashes are the hottest.
- Boiling after adding the cream: it can curdle and the soup loses its smoothness.
- Salting at the start: the stock is already salted, and you can only judge the flavour at the end.
- Forgetting to rinse the shaft: dried squash sticks to the blades and is much harder to remove later.
Your questions about red kuri squash soup
Can you freeze red kuri squash soup?
Yes, for 2 to 3 months, ideally without the cream. Let it cool, freeze it in portions, then reheat it gently and add the cream at that point. In the fridge, keep it for 2 days in a sealed container.
What can you drink with red kuri squash soup?
A slightly tart apple juice goes well with its sweetness, as does sparkling water with a slice of lemon. A ginger infusion also suits an autumn dinner.
What's the difference between a velouté and a squash soup?
A squash soup can keep some pieces and does without cream. A velouté is blended for longer and finished with cream or butter. The basic recipe stays the same: only the end changes.
Can you make it without cream?
Yes. Red kuri squash is creamy enough without it. Replace it with coconut milk for a more exotic note, or with a drizzle of olive oil just before serving.
Going further
Red kuri squash soup comes down to three steps: keep the skin on, cook in just enough stock, and blend for a long time off the heat.
The rest is yours to adjust to your taste, and you'll have the hang of it by your second try. If you're still looking for the appliance, all our models are in our blenders collection.
- To find out whether one appliance can do it all, read blender with a chopper function: is it worth it.
- To cook another seasonal squash, try our butternut squash stuffed with minced meat.
To discover all our other appliances, visit hachoir-cuisine.fr.
Pour choisir entre les deux appareils, lisez hachoir ou mixeur : quelle différence.