Butternut Squash Soup

¼ cup yellow lentils

1 small butternut squash

1 (2-inch) piece of ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

3-4 cloves, whole

1 cup coconut milk or heavy cream 6-plus cups of water or stock

(see notes)

1½ teaspoons salt

2-3 tablespoons olive oil or ghee

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds Mint, cilantro or curry leaves, for

garnish Instructions: Rinse the lentils in cold water 2-3 times then soak for up to an hour. Drain.

Peel and chop the squash, discard the seeds and cut into small

1-inch pieces. Without peeling, roughly slice the ginger into smaller pieces.

Combine the squash chunks with ginger, turmeric, drained yellow lentils, cloves, coconut milk (or heavy cream), salt and 6 cups of water (or stock). Bring the mixture to a boil in a stockpot, cover and turn down heat to its lowest setting. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the soup rest for 15-20 minutes.

In a blender, purée the entire mixture until smooth. Return the soup to the stockpot. If the soup is too thick, add a little more water or stock.

In a small frying pan, heat up the olive oil (or ghee) until it is shimmering but not yet smoking, and add the coriander seeds. The seeds will begin to pop and sizzle; quickly turn the heat off and stir into the soup. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve. Makes 4-6 servings From chef Anita Jaisinghani

Notes and variations:

1. Coriander seeds are particularly delicate, so be careful not to burn them.

2. To add heat to the soup, add ½ teaspoon of chili powder.

3. Use any yellow lentils — ideally moong (small yellow), but masoor (orange), channa or toor (flat yellow) will also work.

4. Instead of water, consider using shrimp or chicken stock — and stirring in chunks of chicken or shrimp at the end.

5. No cloves? Substitute with a small cinnamon stick, mace flower or 2-3 pods of green cardamom.

6. Replace coriander seeds with cumin seeds if you like.