African Peanut Soup - Three Ways

There are many, many recipes for African Peanut Soup, but for the most part I think they all have the same basic ingredients.  Some contain cumin, cilantro, collard greens, and even sweet potatoes.  Some recipes suggest serving it with quinoa or rice.

This recipe is pretty basic and is my favorite version.  It is adaptable as far as ingredient add-ins and can be served three ways: a) on its own as a soup; b) over rice or quinoa; or c) with rice/quinoa mixed into the soup.

If you serve it over quinoa/rice and have leftovers, it is tasty to mix the quinoa/rice into the soup when reheating it.  It thickens it a bit, and is nice change up for leftovers.

In the pictures below I served both the quinoa and soup in the same dish. I then stored the leftover soup and quinoa separately in the refrigerator then reheated them together in the same pot the next day.

** A note about the peanut butter.  I recommend using a fresh ground all natural peanut butter that doesn't contain anything but ground peanuts.  The commercial brands such as Squirrel or Jiff contain hydrogenated oils and sugar and I think they would completely ruin the soup. They are also horrible nutritionally.

AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of Quinoa or Rice
Water sufficient to cook quinoa/rice (I use 1.5 cups water for 1 cup rice/quinoa)

5 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 medium sized Red Onion or Yellow Onion, chopped
4 small Carrots, sliced
2 small Zucchini, halved and sliced
4 cups Water combined with 3 tsp No Chicken Bouillon
3-4 Tbsp ground Ginger (powder) If using fresh you might want to use less
4 Tbsp no sodium Tomato Paste
1/2 cup all natural, fresh ground Peanut Butter
1/3 cup Peanuts (raw or roasted)
  * Sriracha or Red Chili Paste to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.  If you are serving this with rice/quinoa, get it started on the stove first so that it is ready when the soup is. If it is ready a little early, just keep the lid on and place the pot on the back of the stove to keep warm.

2.  Put a few tablespoons of water in a large sauce pan on medium heat.  You can use olive oil or peanut oil, but water works just fine without adding extra calories to the soup. You can even use a few tablespoons of the no chicken broth if you'd rather.  Add the garlic, onion and carrots  and cook until soft, making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.

3.  Add the zucchini and cook a few minutes more. A little of the moisture will come out of the zucchini as it softens.

4.  Next, add the ginger and tomato paste.  Stir to combine, then add the broth.  Stir again, until the tomato paste is incorporated into the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

5.  Add the peanut butter.  Stir until the peanut butter 'melts' into the soup, which will thicken it a bit. Add the peanuts.  Cook for 3-5 minutes so that the flavors can mix together.

6.  Add Sriracha or chili paste to taste.  I used about a teaspoon on Sriracha for heat.

7.  To serve - ladle into your favorite bowls.  If you are serving with rice or quinoa, place a spoon or two of the grains in your bowl then ladle the soup over top or to the side.  Or, if you are adventurous, you can stir the quinoa or rice into the soup prior to serving.

** Note - If you don't like your soup quite as chunky, you can cut your zucchini into smaller pieces. 

Bon Appetit

" First-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting." - Abraham Maslow
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