Boontjiesop

Serves 6-8

This is a South African classic and is very popular in the Cape and around the Bokaap. It’s hearty and full of delicious and nutritious ingredients.

This soup is perfect for winter. It’s also a good reason to use up those dried beans you have sitting in your pantry.

I have used red speckled beans as my main ingredient, but you can use any dried beans you prefer.

The recipe usually has meat added but I have made this one vegan. You won’t miss it at all 😉

What you’ll need:

375g                      dried red speckled beans

1.5 L                       water

3 TBS                     olive oil

3                             large onions, peeled & chopped

2                             large leeks, peeled & chopped

3                             carrots, peeled & thickly sliced

2                             parsnips peeled & thickly sliced

1 can                     diced tomatoes

½ tsp                     ground cinnamon

½ tsp                     ground cloves

½ tsp                     cayenne pepper

¼ tsp                     grated nutmeg

¼ tsp                     ground allspice

1                              lemon, zested

Salt and pepper to taste

3                              small red chilies, chopped, plus a little extra for garnish

How to do it:

1. In a medium sized saucepan, add the beans and fill with water about 4 cm above the beans. Bring to a fast boil and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove from the heat and cover. Leave this for 15 minutes.
2. In a large pot or saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the onion, leeks, carrots and parsnips until slightly soft. Be careful not to burn them.
3. Add the drained soaked beans, the tomato, and the 1.5 L of water to the pot, bring to the boil.
4. Add the cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, nutmeg, all spice, lemon zest and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir through and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 1 hour, skimming any fat or scum off the top.
5. After an hour, use a potato masher to mash the vegetables and beans together. Don’t over do it you still want it to be chunky.
6. Add some chopped red chilies and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
7. Before serving, taste the soup and add extra salt or pepper if needed.
8. Serve with fresh bread and a sprinkle of chilies.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. And as always, if you try this out drop me a message and let me know how it turned out! Or tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.

Looking for more winter warmers? How about trying my:

Hearty tomato soup

Roast red pepper and red quinoa soup

Mexican Rice bake

Happy cooking!

xx

N