Butternut Squash Miso Soup Recipe

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When the weather’s chilly, I like nothing more than curling up with a big bowl of soup and letting it warm my fingers and tummy. Pumpkin is a favourite in autumn– all sorts, though I tend to favour the sweeter squashes like butternut and kabocha. Salty savoury miso is a wonderful contrast to the sweet pumpkin. White miso is best here as its gentle flavour won’t overpower the soup. I prefer a chunky soup to a smooth one; it’s much more exciting as you get a great mix of textures and there are little nuggets of golden treasures you can unearth with each spoonful. Also, you’ll have one less blender to deal with while washing up. This recipe includes a side tip for making miso butter – oddly but delightfully cheesy-tasting, and perfect for finishing your soup with.

Chunky butternut squash miso soup
1 butternut squash, weighing approximately 1kg
1 onion, medium
4 garlic cloves
500ml of water, or vegetable stock
3 tbsp of unsalted butter, organic, softened
3 tbsp of white miso
1 tbsp of groundnut oil
1 pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
To serve
fresh coriander
sourdough bread, crusty, thickly sliced

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Peel, deseed, and dice the butternut squash into small, roughly even pieces. You should get slightly more than 2 cups of squash. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic

Heat the groundnut oil along with 1 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy-based pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic, frying till lightly browned and fragrant

Add the chopped butternut squash, along with the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, before lowering the heat and letting it simmer for 15 minutes, or until the butternut squash is very tender

Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of the miso and a generous grinding of black pepper into the softened butter, making sure to really beat the miso into the butter with a fork. Set aside, covered

When the butternut squash is cooked and tender, turn the heat off. Ladle a scoop of hot stock into a bowl and stir in the other 2 tablespoons of miso till well mixed. Pour the miso solution back into the soup and stir to combine

Mash the soup just a little with a wooden spoon to thicken the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

Dish out into bowls and top with miso butter, letting it melt from the heat of the soup. Finish with a fresh grinding of black pepper and a sprinkle of coriander. Serve with thick slices of crusty sourdough bread and make sure to mop up every last bit of soup

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Shu Han Lee

Shu grew up in Singapore and continues her nation's obsession with food in London, where she writes about food that's seasonal, British, yet Singaporean at the same time.