When the last of the summer fades and we’re left with the rainy days of Autumn, my taste buds crave for a comforting bowl of piping hot soup. This delicious recipe hits the jackpot every time thanks to the fantastic combination of flavors. I have used the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker but this is a good soup to make in the slow cooker as well.
About African Peanut Soup
This West African Peanut stew bores similarities to the peanut stews enjoyed by West Africans. Classic groundnut stew recipes are made with meat such as chicken or beef with countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Senegal all having their own variations. Commonly, the base is pretty much onion, garlic, chillies and veggies include tomatoes and carrots. This particular soup is vegan and so does not follow the traditional recipe. You could call this a peanut butter soup recipe as the peanuts are a dominant flavour and definitely make this soup unique compared with other vegetable soups! Peanuts or groundnuts, originated from South America before finding their way to Africa and the rest of the world.
Why you should make this soup:
This healthy soup is filling and nutritious. Pressure cooking retains more nutrients, makes the soup easy to prepare in less time. It also contains some plant-based protein thanks to the peanut butter. The ingredients for this hearty soup are basic, are available throughout the year and are fairly budget friendly. This is definitely a win for uni students who have had enough of tinned soup!!! It is a comforting soup that is wholesome and enriched with deep flavours which you won’t get of tired anytime soon.
Ingredients:
For this soup, all the ingredients required are very basic and available in your pantry. Peanut butter – you can use either crunchy or smooth peanut butter but use natural peanut butter where possible. If you do not want to use peanut butter, then almond butter or cashew butter is the next best alternative. Carrots – they’re available all year round and are inexpensive. If fresh is not available, use frozen or tinned carrots. Sweet Potatoes – Add some diced sweet potato for flavour and nutrition. Sweet potatoes compared with regular potatoes contain more Vitamin A, C and antioxidants. Tomato – I have used tinned tomatoes for ease but you can also use fresh. Alternatively, use tomato paste but using actual tomatoes bulks up the soup more and provides fresh flavours. Onion – I have used white onion but you can use red onion too. Garlic – Add a few garlic cloves as an immune system booster and add warmth Red chili paste – to add some spiciness to the soup, if you don’t have it use harissa paste instead. You can alternatively add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper. If you’re ready for some real spice, use fresh chili peppers such as scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers! Vegetable stock – vegetable broth adds delicious flavours and depth to soup. I prefer to use a veggie stock cube that is dissolved in hot water. Spices – I have used warm ground spices such as ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and clove. All add their own unique flavours and bit of a kick. As an alternative, you can add a 0.5 inch of fresh ginger in place of the ginger powder. Coconut milk – it’s vegan, contains good fat and adds creaminess to the soup. Olive oil – alternatively, use coconut oil, groundnut oil, sunflower oil or avocado oil. Garnish Sprinkle over chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) or parsley A squeeze of lime juice Crushed peanuts Optional Add a red or yellow bell pepper Stir in spinach, kale or collard greens at the last minute for flavour and bite For convenience, use a mild curry powder in place of the various ground spices. Note that different curry powders contain different ingredients so will affect the final flavour of your soup. You can add a pinch of brown sugar as a sweetener, but the sweet potatoes do a pretty good job
How to make West African Peanut Soup
I have used the Instant Pot but you can also make this recipe on the stove. Select the Sauté function on the Instant Pot panel. Add oil and onion and garlic, and sauté for a minute or so. Tip in roughly chopped carrots and sweet potato and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes, chilli paste and all the ground spices along with the salt. Add vegetable stock and give it a stir making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot (prevents Burn Sign). As a rule of thumb, I add enough stock to just cover the ingredients when making soup in the Instant Pot. You can always add more stock once blending to thin it out. Close the lid and select High Pressure for 8 minutes. Make sure to place the vent on Seal. Allow for 10 minutes NPR then release any remaining steam. Spoon in the peanut butter and pour coconut milk. Using a food processor or immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. You can alternatively keep in chunky if you want. Check the seasoning and serve in soup bowls. Top with crushed peanuts, red chili flakes, and finely chopped parsley or coriander. Squeeze over some lime or lemon juice. Drizzle some extra coconut milk. Enjoy with crusty bread or rolls or enjoy on its own.
Serving Suggestion
This is a great recipe to serve with crusty bread or rolls such as tiger rolls or Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad. You can also treat it as a curry and make a meal of either white rice or brown rice. Quinoa or millet are two other good options.
Storage
This soup can be made ahead for meal prep in a large pot. I think it tastes even better the next day! Place in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You may need to add a splash of water when reheating as it thickens up. To freeze, once cooled, freeze in portions in freezer safe containers to enjoy next time.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
15 Bean Soup Recipe (Vegan) Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup with Saffron Vinaigrette Mulligatawny Soup Thai Carrot and Cashew Soup Creamy Broccoli Pear Soup Goji Berry Soup
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