Serves 4.
- Prep time: 10min
- Cook time: 1h 10min
- Total time: 1h 20min
- Difficulty: Basic
During the cold winter months, this healthy, nutritious, and comforting soup will keep you warm. It’s so versatile that you can add all kinds of different vegetables to it, and instead of adzuki, you can use any other type of bean you want. It’s incredibly tasty, especially with fresh cilantro and a dollop of yogurt on top.
Ingredients:
- 150g dried Adzuki beans, (or400g cooked beans)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 red chilli pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 purple onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1/4 celeriac root, diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chilli
- generous pinch of dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 300g butternut squashed, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
- 1 l vegetable or chicken stock
- some salt
- freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Cover Adzuki beans with cold water in a bowl. Allow to soak overnight.
The next day, drain the beans and place them in a pot with a liter of cold water.
Sprinkle with cumin seeds or dried kombu. Simmer for 35-40 minutes on low-medium heat, then drain.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil. After adding cumin and corriander seeds, chili pepper, and ground corrianderand, cook for a few minutes.
Cook for 2 minutes after adding the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper after adding the carrot and celeriac root.
Cook for a few minutes after adding the tomato puree, smoked paprika, ground chili, and dried thyme.
Cook until the vegetable or chicken stock begins to boil, then add the bay leaf.
Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the carrot is soft.
Cook for 6-8 minutes after adding the butternut squash.
Finally, add the beans and cook for a few minutes more, or until the beans are reheated. If necessary, add more stock or water.
Serve with whole wheat bread and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Commentary.
Adzuki beans are grown in both Japan and China, and they are the second most popular legume in Japan after soybeans.
These small, red beans can be eaten dried or fresh, or ground into flour to make sweet cakes.
Adzuki beans have a strong nutty flavor and are high in carbohydrates and fiber, as well as protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Before cooking, they must be soaked in water for at least two hours. If you can’t find adzuki, substitute any other type of bean in this soup.