Soups with anything but a broth base are a rarity in Chinese and Japanese households, but corn soups and pumpkin soups—favored Western imports—are the exception. (And any orange-fleshed squash might be called a “pumpkin.”) Here, food editor Lillian Chou combines the two and gives them a boost of bracing freshness with lemongrass and cilantro; the result is velvety and light.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
1 fresh lemongrass stalk, root end trimmed and 1 or 2 outer layers discarded
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 pounds kabocha or butternut squash
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (10 ounces; from 2 to 3 ears)
5 cups water
Garnish: cilantro leaves
Preparation
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Step 1
Cut off and discard top of lemongrass, leaving a 6-inch stalk, then smash stalk with side of a large heavy knife.
Step 2
Cook lemongrass, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt in butter and oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add squash, corn, water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil over high heat.
Step 3
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard lemongrass.
Step 4
Purée soup in 3 or 4 batches in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), straining each batch as blended through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Season with salt and pepper and reheat if necessary.
Nutrition Per Serving
Per serving: 133 calories
7 g fat (2 g saturated)
8 mg cholesterol
445 mg sodium
3 g fiber
2 g protein
[See Nutrition Data’s complete analysis of this recipe](http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00028Pumpkinqqcqq0Cornqqcqq0andqq0Lemongrassqq0Soup-01c50eL-00o303E-08432P0-01c20cw-03E308D-03E10my-01c30d3-03E3029-02Q403U-06S20gh.html?mbid=HDEPI) ›
#### Nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data
Cooks’ note:
Soup can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
How would you rate Pumpkin, Corn, and Lemongrass Soup?
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I make a lot of vegetarian soups and this one is in the top three. I’ve made it so many times now that I thought I’d better write a review and document the changes I’ve made. I bake a sugar pie pumpkin and about a pound of butternut squash cubes for an hour before scooping and adding to the broth. I also deglaze the pan with a bottle of dry white wine (for a triple recipe!). I throw in a head of cauliflower and use coconut fat in the place of the butter to make it non-dairy. And I substitute low sodium chicken stock in place of the water. I serve with roasted pumpkin seeds for a nice crunch. Enjoy!
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What a hit! I made this for our first course of our Thanksgiving meal. I read the reviews first and then added my own nuances to create a highly flavorful, silky soup. My entire family LOVED this soup. The changes/additions I made: Instead of 5 cups of water, I used 4 cups of low sodium chicken brother and 16 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk. While sauteing the lemongrass (used two stalks) and onion I also added 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger. Right before serving I squeezed one lime into the soup and then served additional lime slices alongside the soup as a garnish. To make the soup the centerpiece on our table, I carved a large squash and baked it for about 20 minutes before adding the soup. This recipe is now on our official Thanksgiving “must haves” menu!
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This soup is delicious and easy – will definitely make again. It has a slightly sweet flavor that’s subtle but not bland. I made according to the recipe except I doubled the amount of lemongrass. Would be curious to add some of the seasonings mentioned by other reviewers.
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Made this according to directions and thought it rather bland. Then added lime juice, ginger, a dash of cinnamon and coconut milk. As is, a 2 fork rating. With changes, I’d give it 4.
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Easy, tasty, and a bit different from ordinary. Used a mystery squash with a dark orange flesh which I cut in half and roasted to take advantage of the oven already in use, doubled the lemon grass, used a quart of home made chicken stock from the freezer, and zipped up the whole thing with a hand blender right in the pot. (Oops, forgot to take out the lemon grass: extra blending.) No cilantro in the fridge so topped with some walnut oil to serve. Made a nice weeknight dinner with some french bread.
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Delicious! Unusual, light tasting for a squash soup. Make it exactly as printed. Freezes well.
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Made this recipe as written and loved it. Used a small pumpkin variety that was wonderfully fragrant. Yummm.
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It bothers me that people change a recipe and theen complain bout the recipe. If anything, it’s a new discussion on your own recipe. Make it as posted and thenakeyo changes and report back. I have not tried it but I shall; therefore, I can not rate it yet.
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I really enjoyed this soup. I added a few extra ingredients that I think brightened up the flavor a bit: about two tablespoons of chopped ginger and lime juice.
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Pretty good but not as robust a flavor as I would have liked. Perhaps roasting the squash would have been better. I did not have lemongrass but I did add 1 tsp of curry powder during saute of onions and squash to try to replicate a soup I had at Mustard’s in Napa. I used 1 extra tbsp oil and 1 less tbsp butter. I simmered much longer than 10 minutes after the boil. To strain the solids I used a food mill with a fine setting. I finished the soup with a bit of lemon juice.
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Delicious! Next time I might add a touch of cumin or a few hot pepper flakes, but it was very nice, and quite filling, as is.
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so why is there no pumpkin in the pumpkin soup recipe?
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I make this kind of soup often. What I don’t understand about this recipe is the removal of all fibre when that’s one of the advantages of squash soup.
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This is wonderful soup. I shortcut it even more with vacu pac Pumpkin Soup (in a box) and used about six cups and followed all the rest of the directions with one more exception. I used an immersion blender not a sieve. It had some bite to it which I like better than the velvet goal. Really great soup. Served to a large group as the vegetarian choice. LOVED it.
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A huge success. I used pumpkins. Like others I added ground ginger, minced garlic, and white pepper. Also added 1/2 can of lite coconut milk to add a creamy texture. Did not use any butter nor did it need it.