This classic Yemenite white bean soup is designed to be topped with herby, cardamom-rich zhoug. Zhoug is spicy, floral, and very springy — it’s worth a try if you’ve never had it before, even if you’re slightly spice-averse (I recommend using less jalapeno if that’s the case). While you can make this soup with canned beans, if you take the time to cook up beans from scratch and save their cooking liquid, that bean broth adds tons of flavor to the final soup.
Yemenite White Bean Soup with Zhoug ( hot sauce)
Originally published on The Nosher
Serves 6
For the soup-
1 cup dry white/Cannellini beans, or 2 15oz cans (about 3.5-4 cups)
Olive oil, as needed
1 large onion, diced small
1 large leek, diced small
1 carrot, diced small
1 celery, diced small
1 Roma tomato chopped small (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and divided
2 large bay leaves, divided
3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem
10 cups (2.5 Qts) liquid (chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water)
A spoonful of finely chopped parsley or cilantro stems from the zhug
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of ½ a lemon, or to taste
For the zhoug-
5-10 small Jalapenos (5 for mild, 10 for hot), sliced in half and deseeded
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of ½ a lemon
¼ cup oil (a mild neutral oil: light olive oil, sunflower, canola, etc.
Directions:
For the soup:
If using dry beans: soak the beans overnight. In a large pot or in an Instapot, cover the dried beans with 2-3 inches of water. Add a large bay leaf and 4 peeled cloves of garlic to the pot. Simmer beans until tender.
To a large pot add a generous drizzle of olive oil over medium heat, and add the diced onion, leek, carrot, and celery. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the chopped tomato (or tomato paste if using), 2 peeled garlic cloves to the pot, 1 bay leaf, thyme, and chopped herb stems to the pot. Add the liquid to the pot; I like to add a few cups of the bean cooking liquid in addition to the broth if I’ve made the beans from dried. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the cooked or canned beans to the pot and simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Taste, and season accordingly. Turn off the heat, and add the lemon juice.
At this point, you can serve the soup as is. I however prefer to remove about a third of the soup from the pot. I blend the remaining soup until light and creamy. I add the remaining soup back to the pot. This makes the soup smooth and creamy, with pops of beans and vegetables. Serve topped with as much zhug as desired.
For the zhoug:
To a food processor add the deseeded jalapenos, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cardamom, caraway, and salt. Pulse until finely chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also chop the ingredients finely by hand. Transfer the chopped chili and herb mixture to a bowl. Add the oil and lemon juice and stir until combined. Zhoug will last up to 2 weeks in a well-sealed container, or it can be frozen for up to 3 months.