Jamaican Jerk Plantain Soup

Woosh! Can you see the steam? One perk of the black background, although it also picks up the dust, too! HA!

Hope you are keeping yourself warm during this recent freeze. It was -30C/-22F overnight with wind chill. It is times like this that you can remind yourself: only a few short months until our wedding/honeymoon in the Caribbean. And then you remind yourself: WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO DO???? Thankfully my Mom keeps reminding me of all things I don’t know: making the veil, finding something borrowed, etc. While Rob and I take care of the very hard decisions: garifuna dancers vs firedancer (we chose both!!) and where to go for photos (beach vs jungle… vs where are cliffs.. we want cliffs).

In any case, here is another bowl of a warm, vibrant soup/stew. Jamaican jerk inspired with allspice and thyme (and also cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) with colourful red bell peppers, yellow plantains and chickpeas with a sprinkle of green onions swimming in a fragrant coconut broth. This is not a hot and spicy soup (like most things jerk), so add as much heat as you like.

Are you already longing for the summer?

I am sharing this with Souper Sundays, Recipe Clippings, and Vegetable Palette.

Jamaican Jerk Plantain Soup
Adapted from The 30 Minute Vegan: Soup’s On

1 tbsp coconut oil, or oil of choice
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 dried ancho chile, deseeded and chopped
1.5 cups chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 bay leaf
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp lime juice (1 lime)
1 tbsp tamari, or to taste
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add onion and saute for 5 minutes until translucent. Sprinkle with salt. Stir in garlic, ginger, chile until fragrant, around 2 minutes more.

2. Stir in the red bell pepper, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, broth/water, coconut milk, chickpeas, bay leaf and carrots. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the plantains, and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lime juice, tamari, and green onion. Season to taste. Remove bay leaf prior to serving.

Serves 4.