When Chef Corey at Flour 1 first made this soup, I honestly thought he’d gone a bit off the deep end. Peanuts? Squash? Chickpeas? All together? The slew of emails and phone calls we received after we offered it proved that he was once again tuned into what our customers love. It turns out that peanut soups are traditional in many African cuisines, where peanuts are a plentiful, inexpensive source of protein. The cream added at the
end rounds out the flavor and makes the soup a bit richer. But if you’re a vegan or you don’t want a richer soup (or you don’t have cream in your fridge), you can skip this step, and you’ll still have a satisfying, earthy, simple soup that makes a terrific meal in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 0.66 cup (120 g) dried chickpeas, or one 1 oz (430 g) can chickpeas
- 3 lb (910 g) to 1.4-kg butternut squash
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, cut into ½-in/12-mm pieces
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp crushed chile de árbol
- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (960 ml) Vegetable Stock
- 1 cup (260 g) smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (optional)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, minced for garnish
- ½ cup (65 g) chopped, salted, roasted peanuts for garnish
How to Make It
- If using dried chickpeas, place in a bowl or other container, add 5 to 6 cups/1.2 to 1.4 L water, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a medium saucepan, bring the chickpeas and about 6 cups/1.4 L fresh water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, or until the chickpeas are tender. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside. If using canned chickpeas, drain, rinse under cold running water, and set aside.
- Peel, seed, and dice the squash. In the stockpot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Add the squash, salt, cumin, chile, Sriracha sauce, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and drained chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium–low, add the peanut butter, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Add the cream (if using) and bring the soup back to a simmer. (If the soup seems too thick, add a little water or stock to thin it.) Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with the scallions and peanuts before serving. The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
