Vegan Jamaican Vegetable Soup

This soup is unlike any other soup I've ever had before, to this day.  Jamaican cuisine is so hard to describe to people that have never had it before.  There is a lot more to it then the distinctive jerk flavor that our cuisine is known for in the states.

Jamaican food is often so deceptively easy to prepare and packs a ton of flavor.  It's also important to make the distinction between flavor and spice (heat).  Jamaican food does NOT have to be spicy!  Is it often made spicy in Jamaican restaurants?  Yes, but there does not need to be a lot of heat for there to be flavor and I typically do not cook my foods with a lot of heat.  For those that want a bit more spice though, I talk about the best ways to add it in the recipe.

This dish is traditionally made with a bit of meat, even though it's usually a small amount of chicken that is added I still had to figure out how to replace the flavor.  I was able to do that with shiitake mushroom powder which you can read more about in the recipe.

I've been eating this amazing soup my entire life, but it's always been cooked by my lovely mother and with a bit of meat.  I had to make this one about six times before I properly veganized it.  I am VERY happy with the final result.  This soup is so delightfully hearty and delicious, you won't be able to get enough of it.  Once you take a bite of one of that corn on the cob that has been cooked in this broth you won't want it to ever stop!  This is one of those recipes that made my transition to a plant-based diet feel easy squeezy.  Follow the instructions carefully!

Ingredients

• 2 bottles of vegetable stock (32 oz/each)

• 1 acorn squash, roasted

• 1/2 medium onion, diced*

• 1/2 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (variety)

• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp. powdered thyme**

• 1 can white cannellini beans, drained

• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

• 2 corn on the cob, chop each into 3 pieces - This must be fresh corn on the cob, not frozen

• 1 russet potato (baking potato)

• 1 vegetable bouillon - I use Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon with herbs

• 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes or 1 fresh scotch bonnet

• The powder of 2-3 dried shiitake mushrooms or 4 Tbsp. shiitake mushroom powder (optional)*** - See Ingredient Notes

• Water

Dumplings

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 3/4 cup water

Ingredient Notes
*This is traditionally made with 5 green scallions (gently mashed and chopped).  I use onions because they are more readily available, store longer, and I have found no difference in the taste of the soup!
** If you only have powdered thyme that is okay, though try to get fresh or whole dried thyme leaves instead.
*** This is traditionally made with small bits of chicken.  The shiitake mushroom powder acts in place of the chicken to infuse a meaty flavor (umami) into the soup, with great success!  I buy dried shiitake mushrooms from my local asian market and blend them into the vegetable broth with my Vitamix blender.  Or, you can buy mushroom powder.  The soup will still be delicious without this, but I  recommend giving this a shot as it adds the final element of deliciousness to the soup.

Directions

1. Use a fork to poke some holes into your acorn squash, this may take some force, but it is necessary so that steam can escape while roasting.  Roast the acorn squash at 400F for 50 minutes, or until the inside is soft.  You can roast the squash in advance when you know that you're going to make soup, like right when you get home from the grocery store, or even the night before and refrigerate it until you're ready.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut it in half and use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds.

Roasted acorn squash

2. Add one of the 32 oz containers of vegetable stock, the dried shiitake mushrooms or mushroom powder, and the vegetable bouillon to the blender.  If you roasted the squash long enough, the skin should easily peel off with your fingers. Blend this mixture until smooth. - Depending on the brand of bouillon that you are using, try making your first batch with only 1/2 of a bouillon, they can vary quite a bit in salt content. If at the end you feel the soup needed more salt/flavor, use the entire bouillon next time.

3. Add the squash/vegetable stock mixture and the other container of vegetable stock to a large stockpot. Fill up one of the empty vegetable stock containers with water and also add that to the pot. Add the diced onions, thyme, onion powder, and red pepper flakes* to the pot.

4. Place the lid on the pot and crack it slightly. Simmer this mixture for 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, make your dumplings and prep your vegetables. To learn how to make Jamaican style dumplings, watch the video below:

5. Add the corn on the cob, white cannellini beans and potatoes to the pot. Simmer soup for 10 minutes.

6. Add the dumplings and frozen vegetables and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Set a timer for each interval!  If you simmer this soup for too long at the end the vegetables start to break down and get mushy. If you did everything correctly, the soup should simmer for 40 minutes total.

7.  ADD WATER to desired texture.  Depending on how hot you had the stove, and how much you had the pot cover cracked, varying amounts of water will evaporate.  Add a bit of water to replace what evaporated.

Storage tips!

This soup may thicken up after a day in the refrigerator.  You can fix this by just adding a bit of water and stirring before reheating.  This soup should have a hearty texture, but it should not be like pureed soup, it should be liquid-y (see picture).

Recipe Notes
* You can replace the red pepper flakes with a fresh scotch bonnet pepper for an authentic Jamaican flavor. If you are sensitive to heat, add the scotch bonnet pepper to the pot whole and let it simmer for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, remove it while being very careful to not let it burst. - IF the pepper bursts your soup will be very spicy!

---

SHOP

Now selling all natural vegan soaps and soy candles, click to browse!