Butternut squash velouté with green curry foam

Method

1. Begin by making the curry paste. Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and whizz to a smooth paste, scraping down the sides as needed. You’ll need 40g of the paste for the foam, but the rest can be portioned and frozen for future curry dishes.
2. Put the 40g curry paste in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook for a few minutes until aromatic. Add the rest of the ingredients for the foam, except for the xanthan gum. Bring to a simmer, stirring well, then turn the heat to the lowest possible setting, cover and leave for at least 30 minutes to infuse.
3. Meanwhile, make the velouté. Put a large lidded saucepan over a low-medium heat and add a generous drizzle of oil. Add the shallots and gently cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the salt, sugar, squash, bay leaf and a splash of water, stir to combine, then cover and gently cook until the squash begins to soften and break down (about 20 minutes). Keep an eye on the pan and give it a stir occasionally to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock, half the coconut cream and half of the butter, then cover and cook for 40 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally. You don’t want the velouté to catch or caramelise at all, so keep an eye on it as it cooks. Meanwhile, strain the infused curry liquid through a fine sieve into a small pan and set aside.
5. Discard the bay leaf, pour the contents of the pan into a blender and add the remaining coconut cream and butter. Whizz at high speed for several minutes until super smooth, silky and creamy. Taste for seasoning.
6. To serve, gently reheat the strained curry liquid (but don’t let it boil). Sprinkle in a pinch of xanthan gum, then use a stick blender to whizz the liquid, incorporating lots of air bubbles into it as you do so to create a foam. Divide the velouté among bowls and top with a generous spoonful of the aromatic foam.