Butternut Squash Soup With Peanut Butter - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped finely (or 1 large)
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 red chili peppers, deseeded and chopped very finely (not super-hot ones, which would overwhelm the soup, you want just the hint of heat)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt
ground pepper
2 pints stock (bouillon cubes or powder is fine)
0.5 (8 ounce) jar crunchy peanut butter
1 lime, juice of
mixed seeds, 1 handful (I used pumpkin, sunflower and sesame)
coriander, 1 handful, chopped
6 tablespoons yoghurt (preferably full fat strained Greek, or use soya for vegans)

Preparation

Heat the oil gently in a large pan.
Add the onion and cook gently until translucent but not brown, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and chillies, cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the squash and carrots to the pan, stir to mix and cook for a minute or two. You may need to add some more oil to prevent sticking.
Stir in the cumin and curry powder.
Add enough stock to cover the vegetables: if you are using cubes or powder, use boiling water, which will speed up cooking.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the carrots and squash are soft enough to mush against the side of the pan with a spoon.
While the soup is simmering, put the seeds into a dry frying pan and heat until they start to pop. Set aside.
Blend the soup until smooth, using a stick blender or liquidiser (you will need to do this in batches if you are using a liquidiser).
Add the peanut butter: if you are finishing off a jar as I was, spoon some of the warm soup into the peanut butter jar and swirl it around until everything is well mixed, then tip it into the soup.
Add the lime juice and reheat the soup gently. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
To serve: ladle the soup into bowls, then swirl a spoonful of yoghurt into each bowl. Sprinkle the coriander and seeds over the top.