An Ayurvedic Soup Recipe To Get You Through Winter

A squash-based, tasty, and nutritious dish to try while you’re hibernating.

Sway Soturi

Articles\Food

ayurveda, doshas, recipe, soup, squash, winter

As an Amazon Associate, Breathe Together Yoga earns from qualifying purchases.

Winter squash, the poster child of the season, is super filling and warming. The vegetable also contains a tremendous amount of vitamins and minerals, which help boost our immune system; as well as fiber which helps manage hunger (we feel more satiated), and regulate blood sugar levels.

Squash is one of the largest food groups in the world. On top of that, squash can grow to be quite large. In fact, Joel Jarvis of Ontario, Canada, broke the Guinness World Records after growing a squash that weighed 1,486.6 pounds. If you had squash soup every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you would have enough soup for 40 years!

Ginger has traditionally been used to improve digestion and (not often talked about) is considered an aphrodisiac – among other medicinal properties. It is suitable for all doshas. The spiciness in this soup comes from using a lot of ginger, so feel free to cut down the ginger by any amount, if you are inclined to do so!

Triphala means “three fruits” and contains these Ayurvedic fruits: amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki. Its health benefits are quite broad, and it is often used for detoxifying and cleansing.

Equipment you may find helpful

baking sheet or dish
parchment paper
brush
blender or food processor

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

For Soup

3 cups roasted butternut squash (see below for preparation)
¼ cup avocado oil for brushing
¼ cup fresh ginger, sliced or chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
2 sprigs thyme leaves
1 tbsp raw honey

For Triphala Crumbs

1 cup roasted pecans
1 heaping tbsp triphala powder

Directions

For Roasted Squash

Heat oven at 400 degrees. Line baking dish with parchment paper or a silicone pad and set aside.
Cut butternut squash in half, using a spoon to scrape out the seeds.
Brush the squash generously with avocado oil, and place the halves’ inner side down on the baking dish.
Bake until you can easily poke through with a fork (about 30 to 40 minutes). Allow it to cool. Use this time to prepare chopped ginger and strip the thyme leaves.
Once squash is cooled enough to handle, scoop out the soft and sweet meat.

For Triphala Crumbs

Place pecans and triphala powder in a food processor. Pulse a few times to get a crumbly consistency, mixing the nuts and powder.

For Soup

In a blender or food processor, add roasted squash, ginger, thyme, and broth. Blend until smooth.
Heat the blended soup in a pot until gently bubbling, taking care to not overheat.
Stir in honey just before serving. Top with “Triphala Crumbs.”

Sway Soturi

You can often find Sway playing in the kitchen, discovering new ways to use traditional ingredients to create healthy and scrumptious dishes (it’s messy business). Sway’s work and interests span from fine dining on white linens, to backpacking in the backcountries (yes, dehydrated foods, and catholes, and all). A certified personal trainer and functional exercise nutrition coach, she is dedicated to healing with movement and food. Sway incorporates her learnings from yoga, nature, and skills learned in the kitchen to fulfill her purpose - helping others achieve a continuous state of well-being and belonging. Hungry for more? Visit SoturiKitchen.com.