This West African Peanut and Vegetable Soup is made by combining a rich vegetable broth with a variety of vegetables, filling brown rice, and rich peanut butter. For you peanut butter fans, you’ll love this spicy, savory take on peanut butter.
Let me first make the disclaimer that this soup is inspired by a traditional West African Peanut Soup – a popular Ghanian dish (called “nkatenkwan,” groundnut soup) also common in other West African countries including Mali (“tigadegena”), Sierra Leone (“granat”), and the Gambia (“domoda”).
I added a ton of vegetables and stirred in short-grain brown rice to make a creamy, warming, and veggie-packed West African Peanut and Vegetable Soup, albeit not traditional.
When rice is paired up with veggies and a flavorful, protein-packed broth, this meal is an simple and unique dinnertime winner. The red pepper flakes add some much needed heat and spice.
So: Short-grain versus long-grain? You guys know I’m a big fan of rice, whether brown or white, as a side for meals or as part of dishes. It’s so easy to make (you can see my favorite rice recipes here), and I use short-grain rice when a dish needs a creamier edge. Long-grain rice, in comparison, is what you want to reach for when you’re making a salad or stir-fry.
- ¾ cup dry short grain brown rice
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup diced red onion (~1/2 a large red onion)
- 1 cup diced carrot (~2 large carrots)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- ½ medium cabbage, core removed and thinly sliced
- 2 cups zucchini, sliced into half moons
- ¾ cup unsalted peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Garnish with dry-roasted peanuts and chopped cilantro
- About 20 minutes before starting the soup, begin cooking the rice in a rice cooker or separate pot per package instructions. This method allows for really fluffy rice, which will thicken the soup, without extending the cooking time for the soup.
- In a soup pot, add in oil and diced onion and carrot. Sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Add in ginger, garlic, and salt, and sauté for 1 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in vegetable broth and water, and bring the pot to a simmer. Prepare the cabbage and zucchini while waiting.
- Add in thinly sliced cabbage and zucchini slices. Continue cooking on medium-high heat for 10 minutes until cabbage is soft, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cooked short-grain brown rice, peanut butter, tomato paste, red pepper flakes. Once everything is incorporated and hot, taste test and adjust salt and spice if necessary.
- Serve hot soup garnished with peanuts and cilantro.
Basically, consider this soup my continued love letter to the versatility of peanut butter. I’m sure you already use it to slather on toast or bananas, so add this soup (oh, and these snack squares + these peanut noodles) to the list too.
Tell me: How do you feel about taking peanut butter savory in a soup? I hope you try it out for a fun change on a chilly evening!
Marisa
dixya | food, pleasure, and health says
several years ago, one of my friend from Nigeria made something similar with sweet potatoes and peanut, it wass soo good. i will have to try this sometime because im always loaded with peanut butter 🙂
Marisa says
Yes! Sweet potato is pretty traditional, but I ended up with other veggies and carrot as my favorite way to make it 🙂 Now you can make it at home, and feel free to add in sweet potatoes to cook at the beginning!
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
I made a peanut stew not too long ago and couldn’t get enough of the flavors…SO good!
Marisa says
So glad to hear you’re a fan! PB in every single possible format is my new thing 😉
Laurel Schmitt says
Hey lady, I’d love to try and make this in Mozambique. We have tons of peanuts here! I don’t have access to brown rice, red onion, zucchini, or cilantro but I might still be able to make it work.
Any idea how to make my own veggie broth? Would chicken work?
Miss you and your delicious food xoxo
Marisa says
Laurel! Yes, you can absolutely make it work! You can absolutely use chicken broth, or alternatively sauté and simmer veggies in broth for a simple stock. You can substitute red onion for white and use whatever other veggies in it that you’d like, and serve it with any grain mixed in. Super flexible – enjoy playing around with it!
Sela says
If I substitute sweet potato for the zucchini, do I sauté it before adding the cabbage?
Marisa says
Hi Sela – Yes, sweet potato will take much longer to cook than zucchini. You could also consider microwaving the sweet potato (poked with a fork) for a few minutes beforehand to soften before adding in to the soup.