Peanut soup

Soup is always a good idea.

Something quick? Soup.

Cold day? Soup.

Not in the mood for a full meal but want something filling? Exactly: soup.

This peanut noodle soup ticks all the boxes — creamy, spicy, and filling. Asian comfort food at its best, but just from your own kitchen.

Close your eyes and you’re on a food market in Bangkok. What more could you want? Okay… maybe an ice-cold beer on the side. But I’ll leave that up to you.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, crushed
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 250 grams unsalted peanuts
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 900 ml vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons sambal oelek
• 2 small bok choy
• 200 grams noodles

Extras

• 1 red chili, sliced
• Thai basil (to taste)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
• Place the peanuts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast them for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Grab a large soup pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass stalk in a little sunflower oil and add the sambal oelek.
• Then add the peanut butter and sweet potato. Fry briefly.
• Add the vegetable broth, salt, and 200 grams of the roasted peanuts and let the broth simmer gently until the sweet potato is tender.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a cooking pot according to the package instructions. (To prevent sticking, you can stir in a little neutral oil or sesame oil after cooking). Divide the noodles over 4 bowls.
• Remove the lemongrass from the pot.
• Blend the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth.
• Ladle the soup over the noodles in the bowls and finish with a few Thai basil leaves, some cucumber strips, slices of red chili, and a handful of peanuts. Serve with a lime wedge.