Welcome to Empty Bowl
Reporting live from your favorite shopping center…
Hi and welcome to the first issue of Empty Bowl!
A Soup Noodle Soup newsletter
Soup Noodle Soup has gone from pandemic pastime to pop-up, and the question asked is, “What’s next?” The short answer is: I’m not sure. And honestly, I’m not in a rush to figure it out, but staying engaged is a priority. (If you’re new to SNS, you can read our “about” page on our website to learn more) In 2021, seven events were held in collaboration with chef’s around Wilmington; s/o Gerald, Alex, and Nick. In 2022 we’re hoping to do between twelve and fifteen dinners, amongst some other exciting projects.
But even monthly pop-ups leave lots of time in between events. There’s a large part of the year Soup Noodle Soup is just rather stagnant.
Cut to: Empty Bowl, a monthly newsletter brought to you by SNS and friends. Mostly food focused, each issue will feature recipes for home cooking, news about upcoming events, and just a sprinkle of social commentary to keep it interesting. Along the way we’ll hear from chefs, artists, and writers alike, dive into some books, have a conversation, and make some soup.
The first issue opens with a recipe for a butternut squash curry soup. The curry paste is a pungent foundation to an umami packed broth, seasoned with fish sauce and shrimp paste. The soup has quickly become a go-to for private dinners and at home. Switching out the garnish keeps the dish interesting and there are plenty of options. * Hint *Any pickled vegetable you have laying around will work wonders.
I recently cooked a private benefit dinner for three young couples. I prepared this recipe as their second of four courses scheduled for the evening. I like the richness of the soup, and the addition of the butternut squash gives the broth body that comfortably transitions the diner from salad to entree. It’s also great as a full meal at home, and the recipe leaves plenty of leftovers that can be refrigerated or frozen until you want it again.
Butternut squash curry soup:
For the Curry paste:
2 ea. Dried or fresh bird’s eye chilies
2 ea. Dried or fresh kaffir lime leaves
¼ bunch (40g) cilantro stems, chopped
1 ea. (300g) medium yellow onion, diced
1 ea. (25g) lemongrass, peeled, sliced
1 ea. (50g) ginger, peeled, diced
4 ea. (12.5g) garlic, peeled
2 Tbs. (25g) ground turmeric
2 tsp. (10g) curry powder
1 tsp. (10g) shrimp paste
3 Tbs. (50ml) neutral oil
If using dried chilies and lime leaves, soak them in ¼ C of hot water for 10 minutes. After they’ve softened add them, the water and all ingredients into the food processor. Process for five full minutes to evenly incorporate everything and until a paste forms. Reserve the curry.
For the Soup:
1x batch Curry paste
1 large or 2 medium butternut squash, fully peeled, cut in half, and seeded.
1 tsp. (10g) shrimp paste
1 tbs. (25g) white miso
1.5 cans (21 oz.) (600 g) coconut milk
2 qt. (2000g) chicken or vegetable stock, or water
1 round (56g) palm sugar
1 Tbs. (20g) thin soy sauce
2 Tbs. (35g) fish sauce
1 Tbs. (25g) salt
Preheat oven to 400°. Separate the bottom from the top of the squash. Large dice the top and rough chop the bottom, keeping them separate and reserve. In a heavy bottom stock pot, heat a small amount of oil. Add 500g of the Curry paste, the shrimp paste, and the miso and cook on medium high heat. Continuously move the paste around the bottom of the pan and cook until it bubbles, about 5 min. Add the coconut milk and fully incorporate. Cook 5 more minutes. Add the stock or water, fish sauce, palm sugar, soy sauce, salt, and the bottoms of the squash to the pot. Bring to a strong simmer, then reduce heat to low-medium and let simmer for 1.5 hours. Blend if you can, or vigorously whisk until the squash is incorporated into the broth.
While the soup is cooking, toss the remaining diced squash with leftover curry paste and roast in the oven until the edges brown. Reserve.
To assemble:
1 Tbs. Sliced scallions
1 Tbs. Chopped cilantro leaves
2 Tbs. Roasted butternut squash
6 oz. Soup
¼ lime
Place the roasted squash into a soup bowl, and ladle soup over. Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Squeeze lime over the top.
February had the perfect weather for the flavors that are layered in the broth. After taking most of the month to reset, Gerald, Alex, and I ended it with another pop-up at Ciro 40 acres. Kennett based photographer, pastry extraordinaire, and fellow hospitality employee, Hilary Myers ( IG: @hilarymyersphoto )hung out with us the entire night. Not only did she manage to catch our best sides, she brought along a thoughtful care package of red velvet cookies and snickerdoodles. A huge thank you Hilary.
if you’re new to the events I’ll explain how it works:
The weekend before the pop-up the SNS Instagram account will announce that preorders are live. DM with your order, name, and preferred pick up time. I’ll respond with available pick-up times and confirmation of the order with sales total. Arrive at the restaurant the night of and in accordance with your scheduled pick up time. We’ll have it all packed up for you, but if you’d like to hang out we’ll have a few tables for those who want to sit and eat.
Before I wrap up, I want to thank Gerald, Alex, and Hilary for a great February dinner. Thank you to Aly (IG: @alysonpaigeart ) for our wonderful cover art and thank you to the many friends who have contributed to the coming issues.
Look out for the next newsletter later this month - I’ll be announcing our March date and hopefully much more exciting news!
-Andrew
Visit Soup Noodle Soup for more info
IG: @soup_noodle_soup