Nothing warms you up like a steaming hot bowl of hearty soup, especially when the weather is chilly or rainy outside. My simple and tasty Hearty Indian Bean Soup will do exactly that; warm you up from the inside out.

I have opted to go the quick and easy route by using canned white cannellini beans for this soup. It’s easy enough to do and also a great shortcut. But if you prefer, you can always use the dried white cannellini beans by soaking them overnight and then cooking them in a pressure cooker the next day.


HEARTY INDIAN BEAN SOUP

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely diced
3-4 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1½” piece of ginger, peeled & finely minced
4-5 dried red chilies, to taste
½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
½ tsp ground cumin powder
½ tsp ground coriander powder
¼ tsp ground fennel seeds
¼ tsp red chili powder, to taste
pinch of smoked Spanish paprika
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
1 medium potato, peeled & diced
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
1 cup butternut squash (or acorn squash), peeled & cubed
1 cup fennel, cored & diced (save the fronds)
1 small can of diced tomatoes (8 oz size)
2 cans cooked white cannellini beans (12-15 oz size)
2 cups chopped kale (or chard or spinach)
1 cup thick coconut milk
3-4 cups vegetable stock (add more if needed)
2 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
chopped fennel fronds for garnish
good handful of finely chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
a few drops of chili oil for garnish (optional)

METHOD:

In a medium size soup pot (or Dutch oven) on medium high heat, add the oil. When hot, sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Then add in the garlic along with the ginger and the dried red chilies. Stir well and let cook for a few minutes, then add in the spices (turmeric, ground cumin powder, ground coriander powder, ground fennel seeds, red chili powder, paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper). Let the spices cook for a few minutes, then add the potato along with the carrot, butternut squash and fennel. Stir well and let the vegetables cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, kale, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until done. The vegetables should be tender but not overcooked. Then adjust the seasoning if needed and garnish with the fennel fronds, cilantro leaves and chili oil. Serve hot with toasted naan wedges or thick slices of toasted crusty bread.


VARIATIONS:

Use canned chickpeas, navy beans or even Borlotti beans instead of white cannellini beans. Instead of butternut squash, add pumpkin or acorn squash.



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