African Peanut Soup

Makes 8 servings 2 medium onions, roughly chopped 2 large leaks with 2 inches of the greens, roughly chopped, then thoroughly rinsed of sand 4 medium carrots, roughly chopped 1 large yam (about 14oz), not peeled, but finely diced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 Tablespoons oil, butter, or ghee about 2 quarts of low-sodium chicken broth 2 medium tomatoes (about 8oz each, canned just fine), roughly chopped 4 chicken thighs (or legs, or breasts), skinned 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter, preferrably a brand that includes the red skins salt to taste

Special equipment

stab mixer or food processor

Method

Simmer the onion, leak, carrots, yam, garlic in the oil over medium high heat until it starts to brown (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, and about 2 cups of broth, and whirr with the stab mixer or food processor. Don’t over-process, the soup should be a bit chunky, not super-smooth.

Add the tomato, chicken, red pepper flakes, another 2 cups of the broth, and simmer over medium heat another 20 minutes. Remove chicken and dice. Discard the bones and return the meat to the pot.

In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter with the remaining broth until smooth. Then add to soup with salt, and simmer 5 minutes.

While you could serve the soup now, repeated testing has proven that it’s much better left to rest overnight in the fridge to give the flavours time to blend and reheat before serving.

Notes

Recipe is loosely based on one from the old Time-Life Foods of the World series.

Suggestions

You can easily render this vegan by using vegetable broth and omitting the chicken.

Some source recipes call for rice in peanut soup. How common is rice in East African cuisine? Maybe it’s the influence of the Asian subcontinent. We use yams to differentiate it from our Mulligatawny.