It’s really is winter out there. It’s cold, and so windy. In other words, there is no better time for a soup then right now! And there’s no better one than this adzuki bean soup, with kale and sweet potatoes.
People walk down the street like hugging themselves, wrapped in coats, hats and scarves. When you look at the people on the street it seems that they just want to arrive to wherever it is there’re going to. Quickly, without getting too entangled along the way. Just to get to where they need to get, preferably somewhere closed, dry and warm.
I feel like here in Israel we’re not built for winter, and not just because of the infrastructure. Because most of the time it’s sunny here, winter can feel weird… We will change plans, cancel events, wait for weather to calm down.
But above all the food… oh the food. Bowls of soups and stews, so much green vegetables… for me the highlight of winter is its food. Warm, family-friendly, cozy, just the opposite of the weather. As if looking to balance what’s going on outside with what we put into our body.
Vegan Adzuki Bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
This soup is just what you want in a cold winter day – it’s warm, delicious, full with things that are good for your body. I am a fan of soups, and in this weather – soup for me is a must.
At the base of the soup is the Azuki bean. With sweet and nutty flavors, this bean is both healthy and easy-to-digest bean. The adzuki bean cooking time is shorter than the regular white bean. Like most legumes, it should be soaked in water for a few hours, at least 6 hours, before cooking. Also, when I soak beans I always soak much more then I need, and then store the rest in the freezer, in suitable bags/containers each contains 1 cup of beans.
It’s important to remember not to add salt when you cook the beans, because adding salt while cooking legumes prevents them to get soft. That’s why, in this case, you should only add salt at the end of the cooking.
Love soups? Here are a few more for you :
- Vegan potato and white bean soup
- Green lentil and mushroom soup
- White corn and miso soup
- Coconut vegetable and tofu curry soup
Vegan Adzuki Bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup adzuki beans, soaked in fresh water for at least 8 hours, well washed and drained. the amount is for the dry adzuki beans before soaking.
- 2 medium size sweet potatoes or one large one, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup kale, without the main stem (about 4-5 stalks)
- 1 medium onion (about 1 cup), chopped
- 2-3 sprigs of celery (leaves included), chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups water
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
Instructions:
- In a deep pot, over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion, chopped celery, turmeric powder, ground nutmeg and black pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the azuki beans to the pot. Make sure you're adding the adzuki beans after they were soaked in water for at least 8 hours, well washed and drained. Add water, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes after boiling, over medium-high heat.
- Using a knife or your clean hands, remove the central stem from the kale leaves (the central stem has a woody and unpleasant texture). Cut the kale very coarsely, or tear it into large pieces with your hands.
- Add the chopped sweet potatoes and the chopped kale to the pot. Bring to a second boil and cook for another 30 minutes. If necessary – add more water to the pot. At the end of cooking, make sure that the beans and sweet potatoes have softened and only then add salt and mix. Turn off the heat and add chopped parsley. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes:
- Note that as with most legumes, the salt is added only after the beans have been cooked and are soft. Adding salt to legumes at the beginning of cooking greatly inhibits their softening.
- The beans should be soaked in clean and fresh water for at least 8 hours. It’s highly recommended to change the water at least once during that time. After that, rinse them thoroughly and filter.
Did you make this recipe?
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The most delicious soup ever! I’ve made this soup a few times now; first time following recipe exactly as is. Second time I didn’t have adzukis so I used green lentils… amazing too. Third time I didn’t have sweet potato so I used a few carrots and normal potatoes… didn’t have adzukis or green lentils so I used toor Dahl lentils and topped the bowl with some coconut yogurt for serving and it was absolutely amazing. All the spices work so good together.
Thanks for this incredible and versatile recipe!