• 500 grams or about 1 pound of Kabocha squash

• Olive oil

• 1 tbsp of butter or olive oil

• Half an onion*

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

• 250 ml of water**

• 1 chicken bouillon cube**

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• Cilantro for garnish

• Heavy cream for topping

*If you like more onion, feel free to add more than half of one

** this can be replaced with 250 ml of chicken stock or any other stock/broth

1. Cut your kabocha into several large pieces and remove the seeds with a spoon.

2. Peel the kabocha– if this is too difficult to achieve with a knife or peeler, microwave until it becomes just soft enough to remove the skin.

3. Cut your squash into teeny tiny cubes, about half an inch or so cubed.

4. Cut your onions and garlic into thin slices– don’t worry too much about this, as it will all get blended in the end, but you want to make sure that all the onions and garlic cook evenly regardless.

5. Turn your stove on to medium heat and add your butter or olive oil. When the stove is hot, add your onions and garlic

6. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly brown onions.

7. Add your squash to the pot and continue to sauté for 3-4 more minutes.

8. At this point, you should add your water and bouillon cube or your broth and bring the mixture to a boil. 

9. Once boiling, cover with the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 more minutes. If the squash looks mashable, then you can go ahead and turn the burner off. If not, let it go for a few more minutes until it does.

10.  With the soup almost completed, you can now take your immersion blender and blend everything together until smooth. Alternatively, you can put everything into a blender and blend it until smooth.

11. It is now ready to serve! Top with cream, salt, pepper, and cilantro and enjoy!