This soup honors the humble green plantain by using three different textures. Grated to make a creamy consistency, chopped up in bize-size pieces for texture, and fried in chips for crunch. The soup is topped with creamy avocado, tangy lime juice and fresh cilantro, making it burst with flavor.
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Soup culture in Colombia
Soup is a holy thing in Colombia. Some of the most famous dishes of Colombia are soups, such as sancocho and ajiaco (potato-corn soup). Where these are almost stew-like, Colombia also knows a wide array of more simple soups.
Soup is eaten for breakfast (a meaty broth called caldo, or changua,a milk-and-egg soup). You can eat it in all shapes and sizes for lunch and dinner. And even after a night of partying you can find people eating a salty and meaty caldo.
Why this Green Plantain Soup is delicious
Plantain everywhere The green plantain is used in three ways. Firstly grated and pureed to make the creamy base of the soup. Secondly by adding chunks of plantain for texture. And lastly the soup is topped with homemade plantain chips to provide a crunch.
Veggies Apart from plantain, this dish also contains potato and green peas, making it a hearty and filling soup. The soup is topped with avocado for extra creaminess.
Loaded with flavor To avoid this being a bland soup (plantain doesn’t have a lot of flavor…) it contains onions, leek or scallions, garlic and spices and is finished with fresh cilantro and lime juice. For even more flavor you can add additional flavor makers such as vegetable bouillon, nutritional yeast and some vinegar.
Vegan and gluten-free This soup contains no animal products, nor gluten (please be aware of using a spice mix that doesn’t contain gluten).
Ingredients
Green plantains
Green plantains are the most important ingredient of this soup. Make sure you buy your plantains really, really green. The yellow ones are sweet and won’t work in this recipe. In Colombia you can buy plantains (plátanos) everywhere, outside of Latin America you can find them in Latin American supermarkets and often in normal supermarkets as well.
How to make Green Plantain Soup
1. Cook onion, garlic and leek or scallions in oil for 3-5 minutes until soft.
2. Add spices, pepper and salt and cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. Add finely grated plantain, water and the rest of the oil.
This is also the moment where you can add the optional additional flavor makers such as a vegetable bouillon cube, nutritional yeast and vinegar.
Bring to a boil, turn low and let simmer for 10 mins until the plantain is cooked.
3. Using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth.
4. Add cubes of potato, chunks of plantain, green peas and cilantro. Bring to a boil, turn low and simmer until the vegetables are cooked (20-25 minutes).
5. Serve in soup bowls, top with plantain chips, cubes of avocado, lime juice and sprinkles of cilantro.
Variations and recommendations
You can add different vegetables if you like. For example replace the potato with cassava, the green peas with green beans. Add carrot, red pepper or other left-over vegetables you might have. When you want the soup to be even more filling, add some cooked white rice to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you eat green plantain raw?
You shouldn’t. Although they are family of the banana, and they look similar, plantain is very starchy and resembles more a potato than a banana. I once saw someone eating a raw plantain though, thinking it was a very big banana. He didn’t like it. We did.
Are green plantains healthy?
They are starchy and because of that not low in calories. But they are high in fiber, vitamins A, C, and B-6, and the minerals magnesium and potassium.
Can I leave out the plantain chips?
If you’re not into fried stuff and want a healthier version, you can leave them out. If you want an even easier soup you can replace the homemade plantain chips with store-bought chips.
Can I freeze the soup?
Because it also contains potato I wouldn’t freeze it. You can keep it in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
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Do you love Colombian food? Click here to find more recipes for Colombian vegetarian food!
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Inspiration for this dish comes from Adriana, who always cooks a delicious lunch 🙂
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Do you love this recipe? Give it a 5-star rating below and leave me a comment! Or tag @vecinavegetariana on Instagram. You can also pin this recipe for later.
Green Plantain Soup (Sopa de Plátano Verde) with Plantain Chips
Equipment
- hand blender
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 small leek, chopped (or use 2 scallions)
- 1 tsp "condimento completo" (replace with a mix of turmeric, paprika, cumin, onion powder)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- salt and pepper
- 1,5 green plantain (1 plantain you cut into cubes, the other half you grate finely)
- 1 big red potato, peeled and in cubes
- 140 g green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 2 l water
- 2 branches cilantro
Optional
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cube of vegetable bouillon
- 1 tsp vinegar
Serve with
Plantain chips
- 1/2 green plantain, with a peeler cut into thin "coins" (or use store bought chips)
- vegetable oil for frying
- salt
Toppings
- 1 big and ripe avocado, sliced or in cubes
- juices of 2 limes
- handful of chopped cilantro
Instructions
Prepare soup
- Cook onion, garlic and leek or scallions in 1 tbsp of oil for 3-5 minutes until soft
- Add spices, pepper and salt and cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the finely grated plantain, 2 L of water and the rest of the oil. This is also the moment where you can add the optional additional flavor makers such as a vegetable bouillon cube, nutritional yeast and vinegar. Bring to a boil, turn low and let simmer for 10 mins until the plantain is cooked.
- Using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth
- Add cubes of potato, chunks of plantain, green peas and cilantro. Season again. Bring to a boil, turn low and simmer until the vegetables are cooked (20-25 minutes)
Plantain chips
- In the meantime, make the plantain chips (if using). Using a peeler, thinly slice 1/2 plantain into chips of a coin-like shape
- Heat up a layer of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Fry plantain chips for 3-5 minutes until golden. They don't need to turn brown, a light golden color is enough. Drain excess oil by placing them on paper towels. Salt
Assemble soup
- When the soup is ready, ladle into 4 bowls. Top with cubes of avocado, lime juice and sprinkles of cilantro. Place plantain chips on top, or if you want them to stay crispy, serve on a separate plate
