Nasturtium Soup

I’ve enjoyed being introduced to a different set of recipes by following The Vegan Nigerian blog, and there was a link to her bitter greens soup today. I don’t have an African grocer in the area, so I looked up substitutions for bitter greens. This is often how I proceed with my cooking, as, though my pantry is well-stocked, it is not all-encompassing. 

Nasturtium and dandelion leaves came up, among others, so I wandered around the yard picking a colander-full, adding a few leaves of mustard, parsley, and young rutabaga while I was at it. 

She called for red bell pepper and scotch bonnet pepper; I found partial jars of roasted yellow pepper and pickled jalapeño peppers on the top shelf of the refrigerator. It’s always a win to empty that catch-all a little bit. 

I used a small yellow onion instead of a red one, and I added two cloves of garlic because I like it. Hers called for a starchy African yam, and I found a substitute in ground oats. It was mostly used as a thickener. My dollop of vegetarian soup base was generous enough to preclude any additional salt. I used coconut oil for sautéing the onions and garlic. I am going to serve it on brown rice with a side of mashed sweet potatoes.

Ingredients 

Gallon-sized bag of mixed bitter greens, such as nasturtium leaves, dandelion and mustard greens, or whatever edible greens you can find

1 chopped onion 

2 chopped garlic cloves 

A bell pepper or preserved roasted pepper 

A small hot pepper or the bottom of a jar of pickled peppers, less than a peck 

A tablespoon or two of vegetarian/vegan soup base (bouillon) 

1/3 cup rolled oats, ground fine and mixed with water 

About eight to twelve cups of water added gradually 

2 Tablespoons coconut oil or some other oil 

 

Method

Heat the oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and fresh peppers — if you use them — until softened. Blend them with the soup base/bouillon. Mix the ground-up oats with water. Rinse and place the greens in a soup pan. I guess you could chop them first. Add the oat paste, blended seasonings/onions/peppers, and more water. Cook until it seems done or your rice is cooked — half an hour or so. Serve on rice with a side of mashed sweet potato.