Ouma’s traditional bean soup

  2 Minutes

In this article we answer the following questions:

1. How do you make traditional South African bean soup?
2. Which beans are best for a hearty bean soup?
3. How long should bean soup simmer for the best flavour?
4. Can you make a traditional bean soup without meat?
5. Do you need to soak beans, lentils and barley before making soup?

There’s something deeply comforting and nostalgic about a pot of hearty soup simmering on the stove on a cold winter day. Every family has a favourite soup recipe that has been passed down through generations. This recipe is ours. Ouma’s soup is easy to prepare, tastes heavenly and fills the whole home with a delicious aroma while it cooks.

Don’t rush it. Slow cooking brings out the best flavour in this soup.

This recipe feeds 12 people. Use a 5L stainless steel pot.

Ingredients

• ½ cup white butter beans
• ½ cup red kidney beans
• ½ cup sugar beans
• 1 cup large green lentils
• ⅓ cup pearl barley
• 1 whole bunch of celery
• 3 large carrots
• 3 medium potatoes
• 6 ripe tomatoes
• 2 large onions
• 4 pieces of beef soup meat with marrow bone
• A.Vogel Herbamare, to taste
• 4 blocks A.Vogel Herbamare Low Sodium Bouillon cubes (or 3 tablespoons if using the tin)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Black pepper, to taste

Method

• Soak the dried beans, barley, and lentils overnight in cold water. Rinse them well in the morning. Add to the pot with boiling water and start cooking while preparing the other ingredients.
• Chop all the vegetables as large or small as you like and add them to the beans and lentils. Wash the meat well and place it in the pot with the beans and vegetables (omit the meat if you’re vegetarian; the soup is equally delicious with or without it).
• Fill the pot with boiling water, though not right to the top, or it will boil over. Add the salt, pepper, Herbamare stock, and butter.
• Bring the soup to the boil, then turn it right down so it only simmers gently. Let the soup cook slowly for at least 6 hours. Once cooked, let the soup rest for an hour before serving. Mash or blend at the end.
• Serve with delicious home-baked warm bread and butter, and set out some grated cheese for people who like a creamier taste. In the Living Naturally home, A.Vogel’s Kelpamare is a must-have on the table. Add four or five drops to your plated soup and enjoy.

Nature provides everything we need to feel nourished, comforted, and well. Living naturally honours simple, wholesome ingredients and the wisdom of people who came before us. Whatever the season, fill your plate with food that heals as much as it satisfies.