Creamy Peanut Soup

By Mark Bittman

Total: 40 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 20 min • Serves: 8

This creamy soup variation is based on the colorful, chunky peanut ("groundnut") dishes of West Africa. Like velvet, but peanutty velvet: this version omits the collards or kale and uses cream or coconut milk with an immersion blender to create a smooth, luxurious texture. A bowlful topped with a scoop of simply cooked millet, or almost any other grain, easily makes a meal.

Ingredients

Steps

  1. Use the flat side of a wide knife or cleaver or a small food processor to break the peanuts into large pieces.
  2. Put the oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium‐high heat. When hot, add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add ½ cup of the peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to medium‐low so that the soup bubbles gently. Partially cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in the tomatoes, peanut butter, and 1 cup heavy cream, rice milk, or coconut milk. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until tomatoes are tender.
  6. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the pan until smooth. Alternatively, cool the mixture slightly, pour into a blender in batches, and purée carefully.
  7. Gently reheat the soup if needed, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve garnished with the remaining peanuts.

Peanut Soup, Senegalese Style

The original chunky version with collards or kale