This soup is amazing: hearty, comforting, and DELICIOUS. It also happens to be both vegetarian and vegan, although you could certainly add meat to this dish (chicken and beef would go well here). This soup honors fall flavors while paying homage to both Thai and African culinary traditions. I would say the addition of the Thai curry paste, lime, and brown sugar makes this soup Thai-African fusion.
Time: 1 hour
Serves 4-5, adapted from Gluten-Free Goddess
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced very finely
1/2 lb dried black beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender
1 quart vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter (or sunbutter for those allergic!)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
3 tsp brown sugar
salt and black pepper, to taste
1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the curry paste and cinnamon. Stir for a minute so that the olive oil gets infused with spice. Add the onion, garlic, sweet potato, bell pepper, and jalapeno. Stir and cook the veggies for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the beans and broth. Add the peanut butter to the mix. Add the red pepper flakes.
3. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer. Cook until veggies are tender, about 25 minutes.
4. Stir in the lime juice and brown sugar. Season with salt and black pepper, if needed. Top with chopped cilantro.
Georgetown University Farmers' Market 