Spicy Peanut Soup

With cumin and sriracha, this spicy peanut soup is hot. The vegan, lime-juice spiked broth is creamy and chunky with chickpeas and butternut squash.

I love natural peanut butter, but I absolutely hate stirring a new jar.

Even the slightest wrong turn of your spoon, and oil seeps out from the top of the jar drizzling down the side.

My trick of storing the jar upside down to make the task easier hasn’t been working now that I’ve switched brands. The new jar is twice as big.

After I managed to get a mess of oil on the kitchen counter and on me, that was it.

I dumped everything into the blender.

The result was perfectly whipped peanut butter. I even timed it before my smoothie, so I saved a washing the blender twice.

I am a peanut butter and fruit smoothie person.

With my extra smooth peanut butter, I skipped the sandwich and made a vegan spicy peanut soup with chickpeas and chunks of butternut squash.

It had the thick consistency of stew, and each spoonful was hearty and mouth-tingling hot.

I brought the leftovers for a week of lunches at the office. It lasted longer than I expected.

I found the soup so satisfying that I filled my bowl less than usual.

How To Make Spicy Peanut Soup

First, I heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Then I add chopped white onions and minced garlic cloves.

I know when you read the recipe you are going to think, “4 garlic, cloves?”

That’s not a typo. The nutty flavor of this spicy peanut soup is strong, so the garlic balances out with the rest of the ingredients.

I also stir in cumin, chile de arbol, sriracha, salt and pepper along with the butternut squash.

After about 10 minutes of sautéing, I pour in the vegetable stock and add the chickpeas.

While the soup is simmering away, I whisk in the peanut butter.

The squash becomes tender in 20 minutes or so.

Finally, I take the soup off the heat and stir in lime juice.

Once I divide the soup into bowls, I top each one with cilantro, scallions and peanuts.

Spicy Peanut Soup

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
• Total Time: 25-30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6

With cumin and sriracha, this spicy peanut soup is hot. The vegan, lime-juice spiked broth is creamy and chunky with chickpeas and butternut squash.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 butternut squash (about 2–3 pounds), peeled, seeded and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons crushed chile de arbol
• 1–2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1–15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped, salted, roasted peanuts for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the squash, cumin, chile de arbol, Sriracha, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the stock and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 20-25 minutes until the squash is tender, stirring in the peanut butter until combined. If the soup seems too thick, add a little water. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
3. Divide the soup into bowls and top with cilantro, scallions and peanuts before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Flour, Too by Joanne Chang

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
• Total Time: 25-30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6