1” piece of ginger, peeled (About 2 T when finely chopped), divided
1 bunch cilantro, cleaned and big stems removed
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1/2 to 1 jalapeno (depending on how hot you like it), seeded
Zest from one lime
4 ounces lime juice, divided
1/2 T fish sauce
2 t honey
1/2 t salt
3 T unsalted butter
1 large onion, peeled (1 1/2 cups when chopped)
3 cups chicken broth
Orange peel from 1 small orange
1 cup coconut milk
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes in the squash with a fork or a knife and roast until a fork easily pierces the squash, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Peel the squash with your fingers, or use a paring knife to deal with the tougher spots. Slice squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Chop into 2″ chunks.
While the squash is roasting, make the pesto. Put ginger in food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Remove ginger and set aside. Repeat with the garlic cloves.
Return half the ginger and half the garlic to the food processor. Add cilantro, coconut, almonds, jalapeno, lime zest, lime juice, fish sauce, honey and salt to the food processor and blitz until mixture is finely chopped. Remove from food processor and set aside.
Put onions in the food processor and pulse, until coarsely chopped.
Add chicken broth, butternut squash and the orange zest strip to the pot. Turn up heat, bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 15 minutes until squash is very tender.
Turn off heat, remove orange zest and allow to cool. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender. Return soup to pot and stir in coconut milk and lime juice. Check temperature and heat up if needed.
Serve in individual bowls or mugs with a dollop of the pesto.