GRANDMA’S ELIXIR SOUP

 

For this recipe we are venturing to the Adult Timeline and taking a voyage across the Great Sea to Outset Island. On this Island, Link had an affinity for a particular soup. This was a soup made by Link's Grandma which was supposed to be served for his birthday dinner. Alas, Aryll's capture and Ganon's wrath threw a wrench into the plans for Link's birthday. Luckily he did get to enjoy some of his favorite soup later in his adventures. This soup is none other than Grandma's Elixir Soup.

Recreating this soup took a bit of work as the game doesn't really give us much to go off of. I figured gourds would likely grow well here, and they are also very filling and nourishing. So, I figured butternut squash would make a great base for this soup; it would also capture that orange-yellow color of the soup. Amongst the forests of the island there is some tropical vegetation, including palm trees. This gave me the idea to use coconut milk as the creaming agent for this soup. Since this was Link's favorite soup, it obviously had to be very flavorful, and in an ocean world full of pirates and sailing, my mind immediately thought of the spice trades. Surely the sea faring merchants here traded spices amongst their other goods. A number of curry spices would make this soup very flavorful and complement the background coconut flavor very well. The resulting version of Grandma's Elixir Soup essentially became a curried butternut squash soup. It turned out rather delicious in the end. I can see why this was Link's favorite soup!

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter

2 lbs butternut squash

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, grated

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon 

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cardamom

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 14 oz can coconut milk

1-2 tbsp chives, for garnish 

Before we begin the soup, we need to peel and chop the squash. I find that the fastest way to peel a butternut squash is to take a knife and poke holes in it all around the squash. After doing this, place it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Once it is cool enough to touch (but not fully cooled), cut off the top and bottom of the squash to remove the stem ends, and then use a vegetable peeler to peel off the hard skin. After removing the skin, slice the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane with a spoon. Slice the squash up into ¾ inch size cubes.

We are now ready to make this soup! Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, and then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it. Once the butter is melted, add the onions and sauté until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. At this time add in the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom. Stir to combine the spices with the onion mixture and allow the spices to cook for about 1 minute.

Now add in the butternut squash cubes and toss them to coat them in the onion and spice base. Add in the vegetable or chicken stock followed by the salt and black pepper. Stir well. Bring the soup to a boil; you can raise the heat to so if you would prefer. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the squash is soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

When the squash is soft enough, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and purée the soup completely using an immersion blender. The soup should be completely smooth. While the soup is off the heat, add in the coconut milk and stir to fully incorporate it into the soup.

Return the soup to low heat and allow the soup to cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, stirring as needed. The soup will cream and thicken a little during this time. Salt to taste as needed.

The soup is now ready to serve. Ladle the soup into bowls (or bottles), and garnish with chopped chives. Enjoy!

Learn more about Grandma's Elixir Soup from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker at Zelda Dungeon.