red curry kabocha soup

This is the second in a series of posts in partnership with KitchenAid! You can find the first here.

I’m knocking on wood madly as I say this, but we may–just may–be in the home stretch of our renovations. Our KitchenAid appliances are on the way, the kitchen has not only floors, not only base cabinets, but countertops and upper cabinets too, one of our bathrooms is almost done (!) and the other is on its way. Here’s to hoping I did not jinx it all by typing this!

Our time without a kitchen has felt easier in large part because I’ve been getting to know some amazing KitchenAid small appliances, including the KitchenAid K400 Blender that I used for this soup. I’ve previously made do with the cheapest blenders I could find, and now that I have a “real” blender I’m amazed by the wallop it packs. The K400 Blender has three presets for ice crush, icy drinks, and smoothies; for things like this soup, it has a 5-Speed Variable Speed Dial so that you can choose your own adventure and truly control taste and texture. I’ve been frustrated in the past by blenders that seem to whirl uselessly in the center without touching anything on the edges or the top of what it’s blending, and this one has asymmetric blades that neatly avoid that by blending at different angles to create a “vortex” that pulls it all in. The coolest part is that it even has a motor control that senses what you’re blending (what) to optimize blending speed. It’s been a revelation to remake things that my old dinky (non-KitchenAid!) blender couldn’t handle quite right, like turning out Lily’s chocolate chia mousse as billowy-light as you could want, or a smooth homemade Nutella, or really any nut butter at all.

This soup was inspired by my favorite pumpkin curry, and to make it with this blender, it’s almost doing no work at all. You start with sweet and earthy kabocha, which you can cook hands-off in the oven or in a pressure cooker until tender, and while it’s cooking you simmer together a dollop of red curry paste and velvety coconut milk with a handful of fragrant kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil. Add all these to the K400 Blender, and it yields a silky-smooth soup in seconds that feels rich yet nourishing at the same time, complex yet so easy that it’s made in just 10 minutes of hands-on time.

For us, it was the ideal bridge for that awkward span between holidays–creamy and luxurious but laced with enough vegetables to balance out all the cookies; nutritious without feeling abstemious; easy enough to feel like a breather between the marathon preps for holiday feasts. It would be an incredible way to use up leftover squash or pumpkin puree you might have sitting around after Thanksgiving, too. Pretty much perfect–and no kitchen required.

Hope you’re all having cozy and festive Decembers!

Thank you to KitchenAid for sponsoring this post and providing these appliances. All opinions are, as always, my own.

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