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This is an exciting flavoursome Mexican black bean soup that really showcases the beautiful flavours of black beans and green peppers. The classic combination of ingredients that are popular in both Mexican and Chinese cuisine are enhanced with the addition of just a handful of readily available vegetables, herbs and spices which are separated at different stages of the process to add a variety of tastes and textures all in the one soup.
Keeping some ingredients raw, we achieve a refreshing sweetness and crunch and a zing that is reminiscent of a Spanish summer gazpacho, and by sizzling the rest in a hot pan before blending with rich vegetable stock, we enhance the savoury notes to give a complimentary, contrasting texture and flavour.
Introducing our take on the hearty Mexican black bean soup
The soup takes inspiration from the classic Cantonese green pepper and black bean sauce together with a hearty Mexican black bean soup and Cuban frijoles negros soup of Latin America. The traditional Chinese sauce sees these ingredients married with garlic and onions which are cooked slowly to create a wonderful depth of flavour. However, when left raw or cooked very gently, they are very refreshing and clean tasting, such as when they are prepared in a summer green gazpacho. The zing of the fresh garlic with the sweetness and spiciness of the peppers and onions are just amazing. The Latin addition comes from some ancho chilli, lime and coriander which can also be slow-cooked to develop their flavour but also very fresh and vibrant tasting when left raw. It is a really tasty Asian / Hispanic fusion.
Visually, this Mexican black bean soup is enticing with a variety of colours and textures quite different from a traditional dark thick soup so often made with black beans. This is a much lighter soup permeated with a mixture of crispy fresh and cooked peppers and onions that are really satisfying. The black beans themselves are also whole and blended in stock to showcase a host of ways for them to be consumed.
Mexican and Chinese influences
The beans, also partnered with spices and green peppers make a very traditional Chinese sauce seen on Asian menus the world around. This classic Cantonese dish sees these flavours married with garlic and onions which are great ingredients by themselves. Cooked slowly, garlic, onions and peppers create a wonderful depth of flavour to give a soup such as this Mexican black bean soup a very hearty feel.
However, when left raw or cooked very gently, they are very refreshing and clean tasting, such as when they are prepared in a summer green gazpacho. The zing of the fresh garlic with the sweetness and spiciness of the peppers and onions are just amazing. This got us thinking, why don’t we mix the hearty thick soup of the Mexican style with the freshness of the gazpacho style soup these ingredients work ever so well in, whilst at the same time highlighting the great individual flavour of the black beans so well captured in Chinese cooking.
What’s more, the appearance of our Mexican black bean soup seems to feel more appealing rather than the traditional blackish-grey thick soup so often seen.
This is a thinner soup permeated with a mixture of crispy fresh and cooked peppers and onions that give not only a contrasting flavour but a contrasting texture as well. The black beans themselves are also whole and blended in stock to showcase a host of ways for them to be consumed, all in one soup.
Nutritious and delicious
Black beans are also very nutritious. They contain micronutrients that have many health benefits from helping to maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure to potentially being anticarcinogenic. Black beans are high in calcium, magnesium and copper, all of which not only help keep strong healthy bones but to help naturally lower high blood pressure. Many of these micronutrients also act as potent antioxidants. In particular, black beans are high in selenium. This important nutrient is considered one of the most important trace elements in your diet and a powerful antioxidant. A great reason to buy these tasty little beans.
How to make Mexican black bean soup
The way to create this exceptionally flavoursome Mexican black bean soup that has all the deep flavour and spice of a traditional black bean soup with the fresh and clean-tasting zing of gazpacho is all about separating the ingredients at different points of the process. It is not complicated in the slightest. Firstly, our ingredient list is quite small.
- 1 tin of black beans, (if you like a thicker soup, by all means, double up on the black beans)
- Green capsicum peppers. We also love the flavour of Padron peppers (pimiento de padrón) if you can find them as they add a chilli flavour to the soup without the heat.
- A nice sweet yellow Spanish onion and quite a bit of fresh garlic for that gazpacho punch
- Cumin, for that deep earthy aromatic flavour
- Cinnamon, for a touch of woody sweetness
- Smoked paprika, for an authentic Mexican flavour
- Fresh chilli and chilli paste, are needed of course for spiciness and to add another colour
- Coriander (cilantro) brings a fresh botanical taste
- Finally, lime, for the citrus kick which brings it all together
The peppers just need to be chopped finely as do the onions and the garlic. Separate about a third of a cup of the peppers and about a tablespoon of the chopped onions and reserve them for later.
Then with the rest of the peppers, onions and garlic, fry them with the spices in some olive oil for about two to three minutes so they start to cook but are still al-dente.
Remove half of the peppers with the onion and garlic from the pan to stop it from cooking and set that aside. Continue cooking the other half and add two-thirds of the black beans, reserving a third of the beans to add at a later stage too.
What you will have at this point is the same ingredients all cooked at different stages, some raw for a really fresh bite, some slightly cooked for a deeper flavoured but still firm-textured finish. The ingredients left in the pan will now cook further and infuse with a wonderful vegetable stock which will create our full-flavoured Mexican black bean soup. Just add the final flourish of some chilli paste and some lime juice then simmer for between eight and ten minutes.
To finish, use a stick blender or processor, and blend until totally smooth. Add the partially cooked peppers, onion and the remaining black beans to the soup to warm through then serve in bowls and garnish liberally with coriander/cilantro leaves and chopped red chilli.
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Mexican black bean soup recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 700 ml (2.5 cups) of vegetable stock
- 1 can or 240g (drained weight) of black beans
- 2 green capsicum peppers or 1 pepper and 100g of padron peppers, finely diced
- 1 yellow Spanish onion,finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon of ancho chilli paste
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- Garnish of a handful of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, chopped red chilli
Instructions
- Chop the peppers and onions and reserve a ⅓ cup of the peppers and 1 tablespoon of the onion and set aside.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pan and add the rest of the green peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and paprika and stir fry for 3 minutes.
- Take off the heat and and spoon out half of the mix and set aside in a bowl.
- Return the pan to the heat and add two-thirds of the black beans reserving a one third for later. Fry for 1 minute. Add the stock, chilli paste and lime juice and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and using a stick blender process the soup until it is smooth.
- Return the soup to the heat and add the partially cooked green peppers, onions and garlic and the remaining black beans. Warm through for a minute.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with the raw chopped peppers, onion, coriander/cilantro and red chilli.
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