African peanut soup an adventure in cooking and taste

Have you ever looked at a recipe for a dish you have never had and wondered how it might taste? I’ve done that many times. Cooking is so creative and adventurous. Some people may never try a new dish, while others love the experience.

Recently, I came across a recipe for an African peanut soup. As someone that loves peanut butter, I knew I had to try this recipe. I made a few modifications to the original recipe.  The soup is not spicy, but if you enjoy it spicy, you could easily replace the crushed red pepper flakes with a hot curry or cayenne powder increasing the amount until its right for you. The recipe below is tame, but it does have a very unique and comforting taste.

One of my additions to the recipe is grated ginger. Ginger is good for health and I’m always looking for ways to use more ginger in my cooking. So, take an adventure and try something a little different. You might be surprised how much you like it.

African Peanut Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ready in: 1 hr. 20 min

Ingredients:

2 tbs. Olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

2 large bell peppers, finely chopped (I used red and green)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs. freshly grated ginger root

1 can (28oz.) diced tomatoes

8 cups vegetable broth

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (could use curry or cayenne powder)

½ c. uncooked rice (I use Jasmine)

1 jar (16 oz.) creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter (I used crunchy)

Directions:

1). Finely chopped the onion, bell peppers and garlic or you can place all ingredients in a food processor and process until fine (my preferred method).

2). Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottom stock pot. Cook the onion, bell peppers and garlic for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir in the diced tomatoes, juice and all, vegetable broth, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes (or curry/cayenne) and ginger root.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

3). Add the uncooked rice, stir. Add the peanut butter and whisk until well blended in the soup. Return to a simmer and serve. Enjoy with a piece of crusty bread.