This Mexican-inspired black bean and corn nacho soup is a crowd pleasing family meal with all the familiar flavours of a plate of nachos, but in soup form.
1red capsicum, (fresh or chargrilled), finely chopped
2teaspoonground cumin
1teaspoonground coriander
1teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoondried thyme
½teaspoonsmoked paprika
1canblack beans, drained
½cupfrozen corn
2canschopped tomatoes
2tablespoontomato paste
2cupsvegetable stock
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonsugar
For the lime cashew cream:
½cupraw cashews
⅓cupwater
1tablespoonlime juice
½teaspoonsalt
To serve:
2cupscorn chips
1-2limes, for squeezing
1cupcoriander leaves, (cilantro) roughly chopped
Hot sauce
Instructions
Get started by pouring very hot (but not boiling) water over the cashews and setting them aside to soak for 15-30 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan and add chopped onions and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the carrot, capsicum, cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme and paprika, and cook for another few minutes until fragrant.
Add the canned black beans and tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable stock and frozen corn, along with sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time. The soup is ready when the vegetables are tender.
While the soup is cooking, drain the cashews and blend them with water, lime juice and salt until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with a dollop of lime cashew cream, a handful of broken corn chips, a squeeze of lime, splash of hot sauce and some chopped coriander leaves.