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    Home » Soups

    West African Sweet Potato & Peanut Soup

    Published: Mar 10, 2010 · Modified: Apr 4, 2022 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 31 Comments

    6Shares

    This soup is inspired by the classic tomato, sweet potato and peanut soup made in the West African country of Mali.
    African Tomato & Peanut Soup Recipe with Sweet Potato & Chickpeas

    As a I stepped on the scale this morning, I decided it was time to share my innovative weight-loss plan. You know, as a kind of public service. This ground-breaking plan is sure to get results in a matter of days. The first step is to take two young children, preferably your own, to the local ice skating rink. To achieve optimal effectiveness, make sure that at least one of the kids has no skating experience. As you are teaching the two aspiring Apollo Ohnos to skate, they are bound to fall multiple times. Without bending your knees, grab their hands and haul them to their feet. Be sure to do this at least 5 times each time you circle the ice rink. That should get the job done.

    Let's move onto step two. When you wake up the morning after the skating escapade, you will find that your back is a little sore. In an attempt to loosen it, take a brisk 3-mile walk. You are well on your way now. Throughout the day, you will find that your back stiffens to the point of sending spasmodic pain throughout your body. By this point, you should no longer be able to walk. Crawling will likely be the only mode of transportation to get you to the bathroom and back, which will help to build strong shoulder and bicep muscles. The real beauty of this plan, however, is that you will not be able to make it to the fridge. Unless your family is bringing you regular snacks, your calorie consumption will plummet. Voilà - quick and effective weight loss.

    All kidding aside, it has been a difficult and uncomfortable week of back pain that is thankfully subsiding (though skating with my kids was really fun, so it was worth it). I am now upright, but am still trying to limit my trips to the fridge. Perhaps I should just concentrate on healthful eating, which is what led me to make this satisfying vegetarian soup. Filled with vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and tomatoes, and protein from chickpeas, this soup could be paired with a green salad for a complete meal.

    Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. A chopped medium onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the onion starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

    Stir in 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander, ½ cinnamon stick, and a pinch of ground cloves.


    Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

    Chop 3 medium tomatoes, peel and chop 2 sweet potatoes (1 ½ pounds total), and peel and chop 1 large carrot. Add the vegetables to the onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


    Stir in 5 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.

    Remove the soup from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Using a blender (hand-immersion or regular) or food processor, blend the soup until almost a puree. It may be necessary to do this in a couple of batches.


    Return the soup to the pot and stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper, ¼ cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts, and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Whisk until the peanut butter is completely combined into the soup.

    Drain and rinse 1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and stir into the soup.


    Reheat the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.


    Other soups and stews with peanuts:

    Kalyn's Kitchen's West African Chicken & Peanut Stew with Chiles, Ginger & Green Onions
    A Veggie Venture's Slow Cooker Peanut Soup
    Green Gourmet Giraffe's Curried Cauliflower, Spinach & Peanut Soup

    African Tomato & Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato & Chickpeas
    Adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

    1 tablespoon canola oil
    1 medium onion, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    ½ cinnamon stick
    1 pinch ground cloves
    3 medium tomatoes, chopped
    2 (1 ½ lb. total) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
    1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
    5 cups water
    1 teaspoon salt
    ¼ cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
    2 tablespoon peanut butter
    1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
    Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnishing

    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. A chopped medium onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the onion starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of ground cloves. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

    Add the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrot to the onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in water and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.

    Remove the soup from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Using a blender (hand-immersion or regular) or food processor, blend the soup until almost a puree. It may be necessary to do this in a couple of batches. Return the soup to the pot and stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper, ¼ cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts, and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Whisk until the peanut butter is completely combined into the soup.

    Stir chickpeas into the soup. Reheat the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

    Serves 4 to 6.

    Printable recipe

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Chloe

        March 20, 2018 at 12:24 pm

        Looks good! Although 'African' and 'Tomato' do not usually go together. Tomatoes are from South America. How can the soup be African?

        Reply
        • Dara

          March 20, 2018 at 1:12 pm

          Hi Chloe, here is a good article on the history of peanut soup/stew: https://www.ehow.com/about_5503519_history-african-peanut-soup.html It originates from several west African countries. It's absolutely delicious!

          Reply
      2. Mr News

        April 29, 2010 at 7:58 pm

        Okay: I made this a few days ago, and it was really quite easy, and absolutely delicious! Used a couple shallots instead of regular onion, and a few more dry-roasted peanuts and a few less chickpeas, but otherwise followed the map. Wonderfully flavorful and so healthy!!

        Planning Kalyn's West African Chicken & Peanut Stew next: a friend just gave me some jalapeños from her garden...

        Reply
      3. Cookin' Canuck

        April 24, 2010 at 9:59 pm

        Mr. News - Ack! Thank you for catching that. It should read 1 tbsp minced ginger, NOT 3 tbsp. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
      4. Mr News

        April 24, 2010 at 9:48 pm

        I bought all the ingredients for this at the Farmers Market today, and am making it tomorrow. Sounds fantastic!
        One question: there are two variations on the amount of ginger. Your narrative says 1 TBS, but looks like the original recipe says 3 TBS. I'll use 2 and call it even...
        Thanks for the recipe, eh? I've had my share of backaches from skating, but that was hockey, not kids. Thankfully retired now, LOL.

        Reply
      5. Karina Allrich

        April 23, 2010 at 8:50 pm

        Ouch on the back pain. Hope you're mended by now. Just popped in from Facebook- Congrats on this recipe - it sounds delicious! I love sweet potato soup with peanut butter and spices. So tasty.

        Reply
      6. julė

        March 16, 2010 at 12:41 pm

        just tried it - my first encounter with sweet potatoes!
        i halved the recipe, but it still made a WHOLE pot - at least 4-5 main course servings. maybe my potato was HUGE?
        i made a mistake and added too many tomatoes - 3 medium (canned - that's a ll i had) ones instead of 1,5, so it came out a bit too tomato-y for my liking, but still - great. loving the chickpeas - their nutiness goes great with the peanuts!

        Reply
      7. alice

        March 15, 2010 at 12:58 am

        Saw this featured on Tasty Kitchen and I plan on making this soon! Thanks for the lovely recipe.

        Reply
      8. Kajal - Aapplemint

        March 14, 2010 at 9:54 am

        This soup is so delightful Kinda reminds me of the taditional West African soup we have here called the groundnut soup. But this is a wonderful version. A must try !

        Reply
      9. 5 Star Foodie

        March 12, 2010 at 5:12 am

        The combination of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts and chickpeas sounds terrific in this delicious soup! I hope you're feeling all better 🙂

        Reply
      10. marit

        March 12, 2010 at 12:59 am

        yummers! i'm always looking for new ways to use sweet potatoes - my favorite! thanks for the new recipe!

        Reply
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