indonesian squash and spinach soup

this is adapted from a recipe in Sundays at Moosewood.
they call for galanga in a different and more annoying
form, and they don't call for blending the soup, but
it's just so much nicer if you do.  they also say to
use almonds or macadamia nuts rather than peanuts, but
peanuts are an awful lot more authentic for indonesian 
cooking.  and they say the galanga is optional, but
they are obviously smoking crack.

this soup is so good it made me do a joyous little dance.
it's also vegan, in case you care about that sort of thing.  
and moderately spicy, so if you're not fond of hot food, 
you might want to use only one chili.  or even none, if 
you're a total wuss.

1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. dried ground galanga (aka ka, aka laos)
2 small dried chilies
10-15 unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups vegetable stock (i used vegetable boullion cubes)
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 smallish bunch of fresh spinach, torn up into pieces of a size that
  suits you (don't cheat and use frozen, the texture won't be as nice)
fresh lime juice  (one lime was about right for me)

grind the coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilies, galanga, and nuts
together somehow.  or cheat and use pre-ground spices, in which
case you're going to have to eyeball the chilies.  if you're
grinding your own spices, grind them as fine as possible, otherwise
you'll get coriander hulls stuck in your teeth.  i hate that.

in a soup pot, saute the onion and garlic in the oil for about a
minute.  (you can actually leave out the oil and use about 3 tbsp.
worth of the thick part of the coconut milk for this, but you'll
need to be very vigilant about stirring it so it doesn't stick.)  
add the ginger and salt and cook till the onions are translucent.
add 2 cups of the stock and the ground spices and simmer for 5 
minutes.

stir in the coconut milk and the squash and *gently* simmer
uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the squash is tender.
the coconut milk will curdle if you let it boil, which won't 
affect the flavor but might make the soup come out a little 
less smooth.

when the squash is soft enough, smash it all up with the back
of a spoon and then use a food mill or a cuisinart or a hand
mixer or whatever is handy to blend it all up until it's nice
and smooth.  thin it with some of the remaining stock if you
want.  

when you like the texture, toss in the spinach and stir it up 
till the spinach is just soft.  take the pot off the burner
and squeeze in as much lime juice as you like.  when you taste
it without the lime juice, you will think it cannot possibly
be improved upon, but you will be wrong.  trust me, use the
lime juice.  it looks especially pretty in bright red bowls.