Bean & Rooibos Soup

This soup hails from Southern Africa, having rooibos tea as one of its main ingredients. Rooibos is harvested from the fynbos plant endemic to the Western Cape region, and is known for its antioxidant content and cardiovascular benefits.

The other hero ingredient of the soup is of course the beans, I use either red kidney beans or sugar beans. The easiest way is to use canned beans, otherwise soak the dry beans in water overnight to soften them. These two key ingredients give the soup a very characteristic taste - like rooibos tea it's not to everyone’s liking but it is one of my favourite soups.

As with any dish there will be many variations, but the other constituents are onions, garlic, and a bit of veg. Typically I add a couple of carrots and a few crisp stalks of celery if at hand. If you want, you can add some meat to round out the flavour; leftover lamb or beef roasts work well, or even a few rashers of bacon. Whatever you prefer.

Before you start cooking, the first thing to do it make a large batch of rooibos tea. I use eight to ten teabags and, because of the large volume, I make this on the stovetop in a large stainless bowl. I have this on a burner at low heat to keep it hot while it's brewing.

The cooking process is simple enough - fry the chopped onion until soft and a little brown. Then add the diced carrots and celery and fry until soft, adding salt. If you’re using raw meat, remove the veg to a bowl and then brown the meat. Otherwise lob in the leftover roast meat and fry with the veg until heated.

Then add the beans, I find about three tins a good measure, and cook for a few minutes before adding a generous volume of white wine to deglaze the ingredients and add flavour. After the alcohol has had a chance to flash off, add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, a couple of your favourite stock cubes and a little oregano and thyme. Reduce the heat, put on the lid and allow to simmer for about half an hour.

When the meat is tender, remove any bones and liquidize with a stick-mixer (the easiest way, otherwise use to a food processor). Let soup simmer for a little, stirring occasionally to prevent the solids from toasting on the bottom.

Finally, check the flavour and add some pepper and more herbs if you want.The soup has a distinct tang, a combination of the bean and rooibos. The flavours also develop overnight, so having it the next day is great as well. Enjoy!