Ingredients
Scale
Squash:
- 1 kg kabocha squash
Pork:
- 150 g ground pork
- 1 Tbsp peanut oil blended with 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/8 cup of minced purple onion
- 1/2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper
- 1 tsp each five spice, and grated lemongrass
Broth:
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 3 leaves fresh basil slivered
Garnishes:
- 3 green onion stalks chopped
- 2 leaves fresh basil slivered
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Squash:
- Cut the squash in half, scoop out seeds and pulp.
- Now cut the halves into quarters, and peel. Then cut each quarter into 2-inch pieces, roughly 4 cm long. Place into a bowl.
Pork:
- Heat up peanut and sesame oil in a large crockpot, add in garlic, ginger, and onion and sauté for 2 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Add in the ground pork and break with a wooden spoon. Simmer this until it starts to turn pink. Sprinkle in the spice mix and stir to incorporate.
- Take a few spoonfuls of the mixture and place in a bowl or ramekin, and set aside for garnishing.
Broth:
- Time to add in the broth. Throw in the chopped basil and lemongrass and stir. Place heat to low/medium and let simmer for 10 minutes. However, if a foam forms on top use a spoon, skim off the top and discard.
- Add in the squash, stir, and cover. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently. When the squash is fork-tender it is ready.
Garnishing:
- Turn off heat and pour in fish sauce. Stir.
- Ladle soup into the bowls, then sprinkle with chopped green onion and basil.
- Place some of the cooked ground pork we set aside and dust with ground black pepper.
- Ready to serve!
Enjoy!
Notes
If you can't find the Kabocha squash you can use butternut squash or even pumpkin.
As for the broth, you can also use chicken broth, but don't use beef broth, it may overpower the squash
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup, meat
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keywords: Kabocha squash, green onion, ginger, lemongrass, basil, fish sauce, vegetable broth, Vietnamese cuisine, soups,
