Butternut Squash Soup
Using an Electric Pressure Cooker
Dec 14, 2020 | Written by Leticia Padmasri
I always hear that dinner can be a struggle for many when trying to follow the Ayurvedic guideline: eat your largest meal at lunch time and have a light and warm dinner.
This soup is a good example of what dinner can look like when following that guidance.
It is warm. Especially at the cold time of the year, we want to support our agni (digestive fire) by avoiding raw and cold foods. It is light. At dinner time, our agni is generally lower. I like to say that the cooks have left the kitchen at lunch time so if we eat a heavy meal or if we overeat, it is hard for our agni to handle it at night. Favoring something that is easier to digest and of a moderate amount (it doesn’t mean that you will leave the table hungry, though! You still need to feed your fire) is the way to respect our agni.
Another struggle I see is in relation to the ratio of augmenting and extractive foods in a meal. There is a tendency to have excess of one or the other… Augmenting foods are those that nourish and ground the body and mind. They build and replenish our tissues. Extractive foods are those that are cleansing in nature. They ask our body to give something up in order to digest them. They are essential in breaking down healthy fats.
The recommended ratio I learned from one of my masters, Myra Lewin, is 60/40. 60 percent augmenting foods and 40 percent extractive foods. This is an easy guideline to follow that supports us to function at our best level to avoid illness and promote health.
This recipe is an example of a balanced ratio. Augmenting foods are generally sweeter in taste. Examples include rice, carrots, potatoes, and avocados. Extractive foods are mostly bitter or astringent in taste. Examples include dark leafy greens, legumes, and nuts.
In this recipe, the bread and squash are the augmenting foods. Tofu, parsley, and pepitas are extractive. With the right ratio, this meal will be more easily digested and support the balance of our doshas. Adjustments should be made for your specific constitution or state of balance; for example, for someone who is kapha or with a kapha imbalance, use millet bread instead of wheat.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
Using an Electric Pressure Cooker
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Half of a bulb of fresh fennel, chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
3 cups water or more, depending on the consistency that you like
Freshly ground black pepper
7 oz tofu (this is half of a traditional package)
FOR SERVING:
Chopped parsley
Toasted pepitas (no salt added)
Crusty bread
PREPARATION:
Heat the oil in your pressure cooker on sauté mode. Add the ginger and fennel. Sauté until soft(5 to 7 minutes). Add the salt and several grinds of fresh pepper. Stir. Add the tofu and squash. Stir. You may need to add a bit of water by this point to ensure it doesn’t burn since we cannot control the heat on the pot. I also sometimes lift the pot slightly away from its base and stir while holding it this way.
Add the sage and nutritional yeast. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and set the pressure cooker for 8 minutes. When it is done, wait for the pressure to be released on its own (the time varies depending on your pot and how much liquid you have, for this recipe it took about 18 minutes for the pressure to be fully released).
Let cool slightly, and either use an immersion or a standard blender to blend until the consistency you like. Serve with parsley, pepitas, and crusty bread.
By the way…you can leave the tofu out and steam it while you prepare the soup, adding it afterward with the parsley, pepitas, and bread… I like both versions! For those who do not consume soy, you can try it with lentils or mung beans. Cook them separately with cumin and fresh ginger and add them at the end.