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Mashawa – A Simple, Delicious Afghani Soup

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Ingredients

Scale

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

45 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon finely ground coriander

1 tablespoon dried cumin

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Rain’s Choice ground Vanilla Bean Powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups dried adzuki beans (or substitute other small beans)

1 15-ounce can of kidney or Cannelini beans

1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 15-ounce can of black beans

1/2 pound of cleaned spinach leaves (or to taste)

Topping

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

23 tablespoons fresh mint, finely minced (optional)

Instructions

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a deep, heavy pot, add onions and brown for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the broth, tomato paste, salt, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, vanilla bean powder, pepper, and adzuki beans to the pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to low and cook for 25-35 minutes until the beans are soft.

In the meantime, rinse the canned beans in a colander then add the beans to the pot. Cook for 5-8 minutes. Add last of the olive oil, then add spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Allow spinach a couple of minutes to soften and blend into the soup.

Mix the yogurt, garlic and salt. Stir until creamy.

Serve hot in a large bowl with a dollop of yogurt mixture and a piece of naan or flat bread.

Notes

One more possibility: I sprinkle Dukkah, a blend of seeds, nuts and spices over the yogurt. It adds additional texture and flavor. You can find Dukkah in specialty stores and some supermarkets. I will post a recipe for it very soon and will link it to this post.