Curried Squash and Red Lentil Soup

I'd had a curvaceous little butternut squash on the kitchen windowsill since the last farmers' market in December, and I'd been pondering what I wanted to do with it. I could have made squash in green curry again, but I wanted something a bit different. Maybe the curried cauliflower soup at Carmon's had me going; when I ran across this recipe on Epicurious and realized I had all of the ingredients for it on hand, I decided my squash would meet its fate in a soup.

So, here's another curry-flavored concoction for you. I adapted the recipe slightly, adding a sprinkling of garam masala toward the end of the cooking time, increasing the amount of lemon juice, and stirring in fresh cilantro and a little butter.

Curried Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup
Slightly adapted from a recipe on Epicurious

For the soup:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder (preferably Madras)
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons garam masala
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the cilantro oil:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oil with butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook squash, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in curry powder and red pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

Add lentils and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in garam masala, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, and butter, and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer gently while you prepare the cilantro oil.

Purée chopped cilantro, oil, and salt in a blender or small food processor.

Serve the soup drizzled with cilantro oil. Basmati rice and/or roti are nice on the side, or you can serve the soup over the rice in bowls.

Note: In this recipe I used ready-made curry powder and garam masala, both of which I procured at Annapoorna Store.

This soup will improve your eyesight, what with the double dose of beta-carotene-rich veggies (the squash and the carrots). And of course it's got lots of fiber in it (the lentils and the veggies). The ginger, spices, and herbs will improve your digestion and warm you up. Best of all, eating it will make you feel just generally happy to be alive, and isn't that what good food is all about?