Peanut soup recipe with sweet potato
A delicious peanut soup with sweet potato that you can quickly put on the table and everyone will love. The soup is full of vegetables and chicken.
Peanut Soup
It’s not often that someone asks me a question and I jump right in. In this case, someone asked me on Instagram if I had a recipe for peanut soup. I had to think for a moment and check the site, but the answer was no. Even though I am a huge fan of peanut soup (and peanut butter for that matter), I had the time and inclination for this delicious soup, so I went to work and made a kind of fusion version of peanut soup.
Where does it come from?
The funny thing is that the origin of this soup varies quite a bit. When you tell someone you are making peanut soup, the association is usually that you are making a Surinamese soup. But it seems to have originated in Africa and from there found its way to the rest of the world.
I based this recipe on the ingredients in my cupboard and the fact that I’ve been on a “miso tour” lately. I find it to be such a versatile ingredient! And it really comes into its own in this peanut soup. So I used a little bit from Thailand (the Thai curry paste), a little bit from Japan (the miso paste) and a little bit of other countries too.
How to make the peanut soup with sweet potato
You start by taking a large saucepan, a Dutch oven or a large soup pot and place this on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onion. Sauté for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent. At that point you add the garlic, curry paste and miso paste. If you want you can also add some tomato paste as well. Just briefly cook it and than add the tomato, half of the chicken broth and ginger syrup. You can also use vegetable stock if you want. Bring to the boil and add the sweet potatoes and the whole chicken breast. Add enough of the stock so all the contents are submerged.
Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes at which point you remove the chicken again and pull it apart with two forks. Return the pulled chicken back to the pan. Once the sweet potatoes are also cooked you add the peanut butter in, stir it through and heat it through.
If the soup is too thick at this point you add a bit more stock.
What kind of peanut butter do you use for sweet potato peanut soup?
First of all, you can use any brand of peanut butter. Personally, I went with a smooth creamy peanut butter this time. The chunky peanut butter that I normally love so much can give a grainy effect, and I didn’t want that. But if you only have chunky peanut butter, you can use that too.
Just make sure you get a neutral flavored peanut butter. There are many types of peanut butter these days and not all types/flavors are good for soup.
I have also added sweet potatoes and cooked chicken breasts to the soup, breaking them up and adding them back. If you like spicy peanut soup, you can make it extra spicy by adding a red bell pepper or using chili flakes. Of course, you can also use chili powder.
Variations
The nice thing about this peanut soup is that you can easily vary it. It’s a pretty rich soup but you can add or remove ingredients if you want.
If you want to make a vegetarian soup, use vegetable broth and leave out the chicken. You could also add tempeh or tofu. In this case, do not cook the tempeh with the soup, but fry it in a separate pan and add it at the end. If you do the above it is actually a vegan version. Adding some brown rice in the soup is also a good way to make it more filling if you want. Adding garbanzo beans or lentils is also a good option.
Vary with spices
You can also vary your dish with spices. I like to add a bit of cayenne pepper to give it a kick and a splash of lime juice for freshness. Instead of the ginger syrup you can use fresh ginger. And if you want to make the soup creamier you can use a stick blender to smooth it. Do this before adding the chicken back in though. Or add a splash of coconut milk for an extra creamy effect. You can also use almond milk, but it is less creamy. Regular cream will also work. In any case, do this at the end of the cooking time.
To serve, divide the soup over a couple of soup bowls it is nice to sprinkle some fresh bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts on top. If you don’t like coriander, you can use parsley or cress.
It’s a great recipe to make in a large batch too. It keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container or it can be frozen for later use.
I absolutely loved this hearty soup and it has quickly become my favorite soup. It’s pretty quick to make and as I had made way too much I brought more than half over to a friend who served it to the whole family. It was a big hit so changes are you’re gonna love it too. Check the recipe card for full details!
Peanut Soup with sweet potato
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon curry paste
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger syrup
- 400 grams diced tomatoes 1 can
- 1 liter chicken stock
- 500 gr chicken breast
- 350 grams sweet potato diced
- 250 grams peanut butter smooth
TO SERVE
- fresh cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- bean sprouts
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- Heat a pot with olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes.
- Now add the garlic, curry paste and miso paste and stir for a few minutes until it starts to smell. Don’t stir too long. You don’t want it to stick together.
- Then add the diced tomatoes, ginger syrup and half the chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil and add the diced sweet potato and whole chicken breasts. Bring to a boil again and add the chicken stock until well submerged.
- Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and pull apart with two forks. Return the pulled chicken to the pan.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, add the peanut butter and stir well into the soup and heat through. If the soup is too thick, add a little more broth.
- Serve with fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts and bean sprouts.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
