AI-generated image
Sopa de maní
Bolivian creamy peanut soup with vegetables and peas, topped with crisp fried potato sticks
Sopa de maní is a pride of Cochabamba, Bolivia's food capital, where it starts the big midday meal in homes and market comedores. Raw peanuts are blended into a pale, creamy broth with vegetables and peas, and every bowl is topped with a tangle of thin, crisp fried potatoes and chopped parsley. It's usually made with beef broth; vegetable stock and a little more garlic keep it full-flavoured. Chef's tip: use raw (unroasted) peanuts and blend them very finely with water; that's what gives the soup its milky colour and silkiness.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
For the topping
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 7 oz raw skinless peanuts with 2 cups water for 2–3 minutes until completely smooth and milky.
3 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion, ½ red sweet pepper and 1 carrot for 7 minutes until soft. Add 3 cloves garlic, ½ tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp dried oregano and stir for 1 minute.
8 minStep 3: Pour in 5 cups vegetable stock and the peanut milk, stirring. Bring slowly to a simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring often. Common mistake: high heat; the peanut milk sticks and boils over like milk.
8 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz waxy potatoes and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are tender and the soup is creamy and coats a spoon. Add 3 ½ oz green peas for the last 5 minutes and season with 1 tsp salt.
25 minStep 5: Meanwhile, rinse and dry 10 ½ oz potatoes well. Heat 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F and fry in batches for 4–5 minutes until crisp and golden and the bubbling slows. Drain on kitchen paper and salt lightly.
12 minStep 6: Serve the soup topped with a handful of fried potatoes and 3 tbsp parsley.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sopa de maní take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Soto Banjar
Along the rivers of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, breakfast often means soto Banjar eaten at a wooden riverside warung, sometimes after a dawn trip to the floating market. Unlike the turmeric sotos of Java, this broth is pale and clear, perfumed with the sweet spices that traders brought up the river centuries ago: cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and nutmeg. Shredded chicken, glass noodles, carrot and a boiled egg go into the bowl with rice cakes, and lime and a little chilli sharpen it at the table. Chef's tip: toast the whole spices in the pan for a minute before the paste goes in; it brings out their sweetness without the dusty edge of ground spice.
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.
Carrot & coriander soup
A smooth, velvety carrot soup blended with potato for body and finished with butter-fried coriander and a splash of milk. It's mild and warming, so it suits the whole family. Serve it with crusty bread or croutons.