Sopa de maní

Ingredients

Peanut base

• 300 graw shelled peanuts, skins rubbed off
• 600 mlwater, for blending

Broth

• 800 gbeef shin or short rib on the bone
• 2.5 litreswater
• 1onion, finely diced
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1carrot, diced
• 1red sweet pepper, diced
• 150 gpeas
• 2 tbspají amarillo paste (or 1 tbsp mild chilli paste plus 1 tsp turmeric)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 60 glong-grain rice or short noodles
• 300 gwaxy potatoes, in 2 cm chunks

To finish

• 400 gfloury potatoes, cut into fine shoestrings and deep fried until crisp
• 3 tbspflat parsley, chopped
• 1 litreoil, for the shoestring potatoes

Directions

1. Cover the beef with the 2.5 litres of cold water, bring slowly to a boil and skim the grey foam off carefully for the first 10 minutes, then simmer gently for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile blend the raw peanuts with the 600 ml of water in batches until you have a completely smooth, milky liquid with no grit at all. Blend longer than feels necessary; grainy peanut milk gives a grainy soup.
3. In a separate pan, fry the onion, garlic, carrot and sweet pepper in the oil for 10 minutes until soft, then stir in the ají paste, cumin and oregano and cook 3 minutes until the oil runs orange.
4. Add this refrito to the simmering broth along with the salt and pepper.
5. Pour in the blended peanut milk in a slow stream, stirring constantly, then add the rice.
6. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 35–40 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the peanut does not catch on the base. The soup will thicken to the consistency of single cream and the oil will begin to bead orange on the surface — that is the sign it is ready.
7. Add the potato chunks and peas about 20 minutes before the end and cook until the potato is tender but not collapsing.
8. Meanwhile fry the shoestring potatoes at 180°C (350°F) for 2–3 minutes until crisp and gold, drain and salt them.
9. Taste and correct the salt and heat. Serve each bowl with a piece of the beef, scatter parsley over, and crown it with a generous handful of the shoestring potatoes, added at the table so they stay crisp.

Technique

• Raw peanuts, blended with water, are the only correct base. Peanut butter makes a sweet, claggy soup with a completely different texture and is immediately obvious to any Bolivian.
• The long slow simmer is what cooks out the raw peanut taste and lets the oil separate. Rushing it leaves the soup tasting chalky.
• The shoestring potatoes are not decoration; the contrast of crisp fried potato against thick peanut broth is the defining feature of the dish and they go on at the last second.
• Sopa de maní is Bolivia’s most loved soup and is served at almuerzo, the main midday meal, before a second course.

Substitutions

• If you truly cannot get raw peanuts, use unsalted roasted ones, but reduce the simmer by 15 minutes and expect a darker, toastier soup.
• Chicken pieces or beef with more bone both make good broth; the bone is what gives the soup body alongside the peanut.

Variations

• A version with noodles instead of rice, common in Sucre and Potosí.
• Sopa de maní with charque, dried salted llama or beef, shredded into the broth for a smokier result.

History

Peanuts were domesticated in the Bolivian and Argentine lowlands; ground into a beef broth with pasta and topped with chips, it is a national lunch.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sopa de maní?

Sopa de maní is a soup & stew from Bolivia: creamy peanut soup topped with shoestring fries. Peanuts were domesticated in the Bolivian and Argentine lowlands; ground into a beef broth with pasta and topped with chips, it is a national lunch.

How long does Sopa de maní take to make?

Sopa de maní takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Sopa de maní?

Yes, within limits. If you truly cannot get raw peanuts, use unsalted roasted ones, but reduce the simmer by 15 minutes and expect a darker, toastier soup. Chicken pieces or beef with more bone both make good broth; the bone is what gives the soup body alongside the peanut.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sopa de maní?

Raw peanuts, blended with water, are the only correct base. Peanut butter makes a sweet, claggy soup with a completely different texture and is immediately obvious to any Bolivian.