| Prep: 25 mins | Cook: 30 mins | Difficulty: Medium | Serves: 6 |
| kcal | fat | saturates | carbs |
| 365 | 22g | 4g | 28g |
| sugars | fibre | protein | salt |
| 9g | 6g | 15g | 0.8g |
Why I Love Nigerian Spicy Peanut Soup
Allow me to introduce you to one of my recent culinary adventures I’m ecstatic about: the Spicy Peanut Soup. This Nigerian recipe holds a place that’s quite dear to my heart, as it strikes an intriguing chord between my Italian-American culinary lineage and fondness for global flavors. This is a story beyond the fusion of cultures, beyond the bound definitions of a traditional recipe. This is the story of a dish that inspired, cultivated and resonated with my adventurous spirit and needless to say, my tastebuds.
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A Cultural Symphony of Flavors
The Spicy Peanut Soup encapsulates a lavish and sophisticated harmony of diverse ingredients. At fast glance, it’s a beautiful medley of roasted peanuts and color-rich vegetables paired with a leafy layers of spinach, all magically amalgamated in a tastefully spiced vegetable broth.
One might recognize parallels to a traditional Minestrone with its vegetable-rich profile or perhaps see echoes of a creamy Pasta e Fagioli owing to the incorporation of disc-shaped cuts of vegetables. But make no mistake – its flavor profile is truly, uniquely Nigerian, bringing an experience that dances on the line of unnervingly familiar, yet thrillingly exotic. This soup, with its robust flavors, is absolutely soul warming, and something I often pair with a nice slice of rustic bread or a side of hearty quinoa salad.
My Inspiration
My inspiration for trying out this Spicy Peanut Soup comes from none other than the renowned Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam. While our culinary backgrounds differ greatly, Thiam’s passion for African cuisine brought a fascinating perspective to my Italian-American kitchen. His intriguing use of local ingredients to craft insightful yet enjoyable meals was something worth exploring. While the Spicy Peanut Soup is of Nigerian origin, Thiam’s influence encouraged me to transcend the familiar boundaries, and broaden my culinary canvas.
Even though my kitchen is heavily influenced by Italian-American cooking, nurtured by my dear grandparents, this foray into Nigerian cuisine has only broadened my culinary repertoire. It’s soothing to see how recipes from different parts of the globe can come together and bring us closer to each other, even while we are seated miles apart. So I invite you, step out of the familiar, and embrace the remarkable journey of global flavors with this Spicy Peanut Soup – a dish whose story has just begun to unfold in my kitchen.
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup of unsalted roasted peanuts
- 1 large red bell pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 cups of chopped spinach
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- 1 cup of cooked rice
Method
Step One
Begin by heating the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Once heated, add the finely chopped onion to the pot and sauté until it starts to soften and become translucent.
Step Two
Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and the finely sliced red bell pepper to the pot. Stir occasionally until the peppers also start to soften.
Step Three
Now it’s time to add the chopped tomatoes and spices. Add the red pepper flakes, ground cayenne pepper, ground turmeric, and ground coriander, and stir it well. Let them cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Step Four
Pour in the vegetable broth, and add the roasted peanuts. Allow the mixture come to a simmer. You can then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for around 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step Five
After these ingredients have been well-cooked, transfer half of the soup to a blender or a food processor, and puree until smooth. Be careful during this step as the soup will be hot.
Step Six
Mix the pureed soup back into the pot. At this point, you can add the chopped spinach and season the soup with salt according to your preference. Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Step Seven
While the soup is simmering, prepare your garnish and your accompaniments. Chop the fresh cilantro for garnish, and ensure that your cooked rice is warmed up.
Step Eight
Now, your Spicy Peanut Soup is ready for serving. Ladle the soup into bowls, place a scoop of cooked rice on top, then sprinkle a generous amount of fresh cilantro atop for garnish. Serve while hot and enjoy!
