After having a Thai-scented melon soup in Portland, Oregon many years ago, I’ve been experimenting to see just what other main soup ingredients could stand up to the same fragrant mixture of Thai ingredients. Butternut squash proved to be one of the best. The only substitution necessary to make it SIBO-friendly was the right brand of coconut milk.
Serves 2-3 as a main meal, 4-6 as a side dish
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
1 “thumb” of ginger, peeled and minced
2 – 6″ stalks of lemon grass, sliced diagonally roughly 1/3″ thick
4-6 fresh kaffir lime leaves (6-8 if dried)
1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into ~1″ thick cubes
1 cup home-made (without garlic, onions, or celery) chicken broth, divided
2 cans SIBO-friendly coconut milk* (see photo at right)
Salt and white pepper to taste
In a large soup pot, sauté ginger, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves in coconut oil over low heat, until softened and just starting to turn golden… about 20 minutes.
Add butternut squash cubes and stir occasionally, until cubes are coated with aromatics and starting to darken (cook) around the edges.
Stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth and continue to toss squash cubes to further coat them with the aromatics.
Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup broth, cover with a lid, turn down to a simmer, and cook until squash is tender (about 20-30 minutes).
Uncover, add both cans of coconut milk, and use a stick blender to puree soup.
Taste and adjust seasonings / salt / pepper to your preference.
Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, a dollop of 24-hour home-made yogurt, basil oil, chili oil — whatever suits your fancy.
*It’s not easy to find coconut milk without any guar gum thickener—which is prohibited in SIBO diets. Look for the bright lime green can “Natural Value Organic” brand.
My SIBO Recipes 