Imagine a rich and creamy soup that contains no meat or dairy.
It’s crazy what the right blend of vegetables and herbs can create. It’s also testimony to human creativity.
This recipe is from the Sweet Home Café Cookbook by Albert Lukas.
Bay leaves are one of the ingredients that provide flavor here. When dried and cooked, two chemicals—myrcene and eugenol—are released and result in replicating the flavors of oregano, thyme, spicy clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and basil tones all from one leaf. They are used in cooking around the world.
The recipe calls for sweet potatoes, but I prefer Japanese yams. I have mentioned them before. But when roasted they have so much flavor that they can be eaten by themselves, as I experienced at a museum in South Korea where two staff members were having them for a morning break. When I appeared, they went into the back room and brought me one. What a memorable treat!
Vegetable stock is another important ingredient. Keep parsley and celery tops, and peeled skins from onions, Japanese yams, potatoes and carrots and in a plastic bag in the freezer. Put them in a saucepan with fresh cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour or so. Use or freeze for later. For extra flavor, add some dried porcini mushrooms available in bulk from Staff of Life.
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 cup yellow onions, very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon peeled fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped skinless raw or roasted peanuts – set aside 2 tablespoons chopped for garnish
• 1 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 2 peeled Japanese yams or sweet potatoes
• ½ cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 bay laurel leaves
• ¾ cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup organic peanut butter
• Freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Put peanut oil in a large soup pot and heat over medium low. Add onion, ginger, garlic and cook until translucent for about 5 minutes. Add peanuts and cook 3 minutes more.
Add curry, tomato paste and jalapeno and cook over medium low heat stirring constantly until tomato paste has caramelized in about 3-4 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, sweet potatoes, crushed tomatoes, salt and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Remove 1½ cups of soup and process in blender. Return to pot and simmer. Add coconut milk and cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat and reduce to lowest setting. Add peanut butter and stir. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve with cilantro and chopped raw peanuts.
