Cooking the teff In a large pot, bring four times the amount of water (eg 100 g teff = 400 ml water) to the boil. Stir in the teff and simmer for 10 minutes until it has absorbed all the water. Remove from the heat and set aside.
You can also prepare the teff the day before. If you soak the grains in fresh water for a few hours before cooking, they will cook more evenly and swell more.
For the soup Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic and sauté in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion cubes are translucent. Add the cumin and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring.
The author did not specify a specific oil. We deliberately chose rapeseed oil, which has a particularly good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (see tips).
Dice the sweet potatoes. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into cubes. Add them to the pot together with the broth and the sweet potatoes (discard any excess liquid from the tomatoes depending on the desired consistency). Cover and simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and puree the soup in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth.
The author does not peel the sweet potatoes. This means that valuable ingredients that are directly under the skin are retained. The amount of fiber is also increased. If possible, use organically grown products if you do not peel them.
We have deliberately chosen extra low-salt vegetable broth to minimize the salt content. You can find more information about this under the tips and a recipe for making your own here: Extra low-salt vegetable broth.
The original recipe uses chopped tomatoes from a can. In this recipe we use fresh tomatoes for health reasons. Motivation (apple symbol) and a link to the original recipe can be found directly above the recipe picture.
For the peanut butter Process the peanuts and walnuts (10 g corresponds to about 6 halves) in a coffee grinder or similar small chopper until they form a cream and add to the soup.
The original recipe uses ready-made peanut butter. The original recipe does not contain walnuts. However, walnuts improve the fatty acid ratio.
Finishing the soup and serving Add the pre-cooked teff (from step 1) to the soup and stir. Put the pot back on the stove. Heat the soup properly again for 2-3 minutes.
Finally, season with salt and pepper, pour into bowls and garnish with the yoghurt. Roughly chop the coriander leaves, sprinkle them over the soup and serve hot.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
This health-optimized sweet potato and peanut soup with teff, coconut yogurt and cumin has a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.
Portion size: According to the author, this dish is suitable for 6-8 people. We have set the size for a main course at 8 portions.
New nutrient profile: According to GDA guidelines, one portion covers almost the average daily requirement of manganese (which plays a role in the formation of cartilage tissue, among other things) and vitamin A (important function for the vision process, in the mucous membrane, in the skin and in the immune system). The requirement for the trace element iron, which is involved in oxygen transport in the blood, oxygen storage in the cells and energy metabolism, is covered by almost 20%. Due to our changes, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is within the range of the maximum recommended ratio of 5:1.
Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes, also called sweet potatoes, are not nightshade plants like regular potatoes. The tubers have a high water content and cannot be stored for as long as regular potatoes, but their shelf life can be increased by handling them carefully, such as avoiding bruising. The potato-like tubers come in different colors: yellow with red skin, orange-red with red-brown skin, and white with a light skin.
Teff: Teff, also known as dwarf millet, originates from Ethiopia and is the smallest grain in the world. Teff is gluten-free and, as there is no peeled teff, it is basically whole grain and therefore rich in vital nutrients. Teff is also one of the grains richest in protein.
Walnuts: Of all known nuts, walnuts have the highest content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). They are also good for your health thanks to tocopherols (forms of vitamin E) and many macro and trace elements.
Cumin: Due to the similar name, there is often confusion between cumin and caraway. However, they are not closely related and also differ greatly in taste. Cumin is often used in Indian, Turkish and Greek cuisine.
Tips
Coriander: Opinions vary widely regarding the taste of coriander. Some people react to its intense, slightly soapy aroma with aversion or even nausea. According to statistics, 15% of all allergy sufferers in Switzerland are sensitive to coriander. In these cases, simply leave this ingredient out. However, it is the coriander that gives the dish a special flavor. There is no alternative with a similar taste. Flat-leaf parsley, which looks similar, has a completely different taste.
Optimize recipes yourself: We have highlighted the changes in this recipe compared to the original recipe with purple labels. The adjustments made have improved the fatty acid ratio (omega-6 to omega-3) from 12:1 to 5:1, reduced the fat content from 12.9 to 9.5% of the daily requirement and halved the amount of table salt. Take a look at other health-optimized recipes (enter "healthy" in the search field) and use the optimization options used for your everyday preparations. You can find out more about the motivation and often overlooked nutritional errors in a vegan diet under the following link: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.
Alternate preparation
Peanut substitute: For people with a peanut allergy, macadamia nuts can be used as a substitute for peanuts. Other alternatives with a less good fatty acid ratio are almonds or cashews.
If you want to do it quickly: You can use chopped canned tomatoes, as stated in the original recipe. As always, go for the organic version and make sure to use as few preservatives as possible - a short expiration date is usually a good indication.
