This soup needs a name. It didn’t originally have curried spices. I got it from a macrobiotic newsletter. It didn’t have amounts, so I’m not sure I can call the source a real recipe. And the main ingredient in the original was broccoli, which I didn’t have and I didn’t feel like going back to the store to get, and I felt broccoli was too rough for the creamy texture that I wanted. Surprisingly, it has no onion. I think every other soup I make seems to start with an onion.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white northern beans, soaked overnight and then cooked with kombu
- 2 pieces of kombu
- 1 tsp. thyme (I used fresh from my garden)
- 1 small sweet potato
- 3 sticks of celery
- 1 garlic clove
- olive oil to saute the celery
- 1 heaping tsp. turmeric
- 1 heaping tsp. cumin
- 1 Tbsp. white miso
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Soak the white beans overnight and cook with two pieces (about one inch) of kombu. Saute chopped celery and chopped garlic in olive oil or coconut oil. Cook the sweet potato; discard sweet potato skin. Puree the celery, garlic, thyme, sweet potato, beans and kombu in the food processor. Add the turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. Reheat the pureed soup on the stove. Stir in a spoonful of miso just before serving.
Garnish with scallion or whatever fresh herb you have available. In the photo are some leaves of fresh oregano from my backyard.
What’s kombu? And please send this to KCC. Gorgeous bowl
Kombu is a stick-like seaweed. It is definitely available in Jerusalem, because Klara buys it there. A whole package will last quite a while. Seaweed adds a lot of nutrients we don’t get in other foods, for example, fucoidan, a phytochemical that acts as an anticoagulant; a 2011 study found that kombu contains properties that stop clots from forming in blood vessels—which may make it a promising subject for cardiovascular research.
This looks really good. Did any of your children try it?
I confess that I made this for my father and myself. It never made it to the dinner table. We ate it for lunch.
My head perked up when I read your comment about the vascular benefits.. Interesting
Nice sounding recipe.
Is it possible to swap the white northern beans for another sort of bean.? Unable to get them so would like to know so I can make this recipe.
Most certainly! How about cannellini beans that are also white but larger?
Thanks for the quick response Leora. I will go out this week and get the Cannellinni beans. I was a bit concerned I may alter the taste if I used a different bean. I’ll let you know how the soup turns out when I make it.
I love the consideration of your response! I totally made up this soup. I love the idea of the concern for the difference of taste between the two beans. Only a true foodie would notice something like that.