Whilst flipping through a cookbook in the bath t’other day (yes, I read cookbooks like other people read fiction), I came across what sounded like a simple yet interesting soup recipe. Plus, I had all the ingredients on hand.
Chickpeas. Potatoes. Spinach. Cumin, coriander, cayenne. Also tahini and [vegan] cream. I wasn’t sure how the flavours were going to come together in the end, but I’m happy to report that the soup was very, very delicious. The original recipe calls for cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the soup, but instead I used a couple of tablespoons of red lentils for extra nutrition.
I used Stanley to cook the chickpeas, but a half a 400g/14oz tin (drained & rinsed) could be substituted. (Use the other half to make houmous, mmm.)
Be sure to wash the spinach well, as it is often quite muddy.
Sesame breadsticks are nice with this soup.
| British | American | |||
| 1 tablespoon | olive oil | 1 tablespoon | ||
| 65g | finely chopped onion | 1 small | ||
| 2 | cloves garlic, minced | 2 | ||
| 1 teaspoon | ground cumin | 1 teaspoon | ||
| 1 teaspoon | ground coriander | 1 teaspoon | ||
| 1/8 teaspoon | cayenne pepper, or to taste | 1/8 teaspoon | ||
| 600ml | vegetable stock | 2-1/2 cups | ||
| 3 tablespoons | red lentils | 3 tablespoons | ||
| 180g | potatoes, peeled and diced small | 6 ounces | ||
| 55g | dried chickpeas, cooked | generous 1/4 cup | ||
| (or substitute tinned, drained & rinsed) | ||||
| 4 tablespoons | vegan cream | 4 tablespoons | ||
| 1 tablespoon | light tahini | 1 tablespoon | ||
| 80g | fresh spinach, shredded | 3 ounces | ||
| salt and freshly ground pepper to taste |
1. Heat olive oil over low heat and saute onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add garlic and saute an additional minute or two.
3. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne, and cook another minute.
4. Add vegetable stock and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft.
5. Add potatoes and chickpeas and continue to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.
6. Add vegan cream and tahini, stirring until combined. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.
7. Add spinach and simmer for two minutes, until spinach is wilted.
Makes 2 servings.
looks really tasty.
tis the season for soup. I’m looking forward to making more now that the holidays are over. I like January because it’s quiet.
Okay, I really have to try this. Anything with chickpeas….I’m game!
But the only thing, I dislike coriander…do you think there will be a noticeable difference?
denny,
I don’t think there would be a huge difference, because there are a lot of other flavours as well. Chickpeas are da best!
Sounds really delicious. Thanks for the recipe! I also like the idea of using lentils instead of cornstarch.
I’m another who’d rather use Lentils than Corn Flour and you’ve done it again Miss Thrifty!!
This one looks AWESOME!
We love chickpeas, so I’m definitely going to make this soup. Soup is all we feel like eating on these super cold nights. We were just thinking about your blog this evening as we ate yet another new-to-us stew and reflected how inexpensive it was to make. I am enjoying catching up with your blog as it’s been awhile since I’ve looked at ANYONE else’s. Shame on me… but thanks for all the insipiration!
YUM! Chickpeas are one of my favorite things I can’t wait to try this!
THANK YOU
*hugs
THANK YOU
*curtsies
THANK YOU
*dances around you
THANK YOU
*gives you belly rubs for delicious eats;)
I have just had this soup for lunch. I used tinned chick peas and tinned spinach and their liquid as part of the stock. I did not have the tahini or vegan cream.
Otherwise I made it as written. Loved it, absolutely loved it. Thanks for posting it.
On to some of the others. Got you as a link from Chez Ceridwen, virtual friend of old.