Chicken black-eyed peas soup is a lovely twist to a bowl of regular chicken soup. It’s healthy and satisfying and perfect to eat for the cold season. Moreover, this simple dish gets its amazing flavours from garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coconut milk. A real marriage of flavours!
I love soups or one-pot dishes like this one. Combining delicious ingredients, spices and herbs in one pot creates a perfect meal; hearty, healthy and fulfilling. They are a real timesaver and super easy, too. They are one-pot wonders. Wink. For more one-pot wonders check these out: chili con chocolate, old school pasta minestrone, a perfect-for-fall chili con pumpkin, a delicious sour turnips soup Jota, fulfilling beef-peas goulash or protein chicken rice soup.
But let’s go back to this soup. Black-eyed peas, despite the name, they aren’t really peas. They are lovely small white beans with tiny black spots, which look like an eye. Yeap, that’s where they got their name from. Besides being cute, they are delicious, versatile and healthy. In fact, they can improve heart health, digestion and due to their content of protein and soluble fibre, they might help with the weight loss.
Soak the beans overnight
In order to shorten the cooking time of the beans, I soaked them in cold water overnight until I was ready to cook lunch. It might even shorten the soaking time when boiling them for 3 minutes and then soak in warm water for a couple of hours. Having said that, I must say I’ve never tried that. Yet.
Furthermore, I also find that black-eyed peas pair wonderfully with spices such as turmeric and garam masala. Garam masala adds warmth, sweetness, a light floral note and a touch of heat. A bit of cayenne pepper is also always welcome. Wink. To round up the whole thing, I added coconut milk (yeah, I can’t live without it). Oh, delicious!
Additionally, I have a tip on how to grate the garlic and keep the grater clean. Sounds great, right? Take a piece of parchment paper and place it on the grater. Then, simply grate the peeled garlic and ginger as well. It’s just amazing. The grated garlic and ginger will both stay on the paper and the grater stays clean. Woohoo. I love this trick.
Ingredients for 2-3 portions of chicken black-eyed peas soup:
- 200 g dry black-eyed peas (soaked overnight)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (sliced)
- 2 cm piece of ginger (grated)
- 1 Garlic clove (grated)
- 2 tsp of turmeric
- 1-2 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp of garam masala
- 3 medium tomatoes (diced)
- salt
- 300 ml hot water
- 250 ml canned coconut milk
- 200 g roasted pulled chicken
- 3 sprigs of fresh coriander
To begin, roast the chicken. In a non-sticking pan add one spoon of olive oil and heat it up. Once warm, add the chicken and brown it on all sides. After it’s golden brown outside and white inside, remove the pan from the heat and let everything cool down.
In the meantime, peel and slice the onion, peel and grate the garlic and ginger (check my tip, just above the ingredients, how to grate them). Wash and dice the tomatoes.
Furthermore, in a medium deep pot, heat one spoon of olive oil. Then, add the sliced onion and grated ginger and saute for a minute. Next, add the garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Stir until they release their lovely aromas.
At this point, add the drained black-eyed peas, tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Give it a quick stir, pour in the water and coconut milk, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the beans get soft.
Last but not least, tear apart the chicken and stir it in the soup. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Finally, divide the chicken black-eyed peas soup between the bowls and garnish with some fresh coriander. This soup pairs great with a slice of bread or a spoon of coconut yogurt. You might add some slices of fresh chili, too. It makes a perfect meal for autumn and winter season.
Enjoy!
