Spicy Cashew & Eggplant Soup

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a cook who's quite famous in the vegan community. Her show & blog, the Post Punk Kitchen, along with her plethora of cookbooks, have grabbed the attention of both vegans and omnivores alike.

In particular, Isa is well known for her delicious desserts (muffins, cupcakes etc) and her hearty vegan brunch recipes. For better or for worse, however, I tend to find that her other recipes (many of which are healthy and delicious) end up being ignored.

Because her recipes are already well known in the vegan community and easily accessible elsewhere, I don't plan on spending a lot of time blogging about them. However, I would like to occasionally mention some of the non-dessert/brunch ones that are, for one reason or another, unfortunately marginalized. The following is a rich, spicy soup recipe:

Spicy Cashew & Eggplant Soup

1 pound eggplant, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
1 hot chile, seeded & minced
1.5 teaspsons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 (16oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
5 cups broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cashew pieces
Cilantro (optional garnish)

~
Toss the eggplant cubes with the teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Allow to sit 20-30 minutes to soften, then gently rinse the eggplant with cold running water and drain.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a large stockpot and add the eggplant, stirring to coat with the oil. Stir and cook for 12-15 minutes, until slightly tender. Transfer the eggplant to a medium sized bowl.

Add the remaining oil to the pot and allow it to heat, add the chile and onion, and fry for a minute. Add the ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric, and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir-fry the mixture for another minute.

Add the diced tomatoes and eggplant, turning the heat up to high. Fry for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very moist and has absorbed a reasonable amount of the tomato flavouring and spices. Sprinkle cashew pieces on top liberally, stirring for a few more minutes.

Add the broth and simmer on medium-low heat for 35-40 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Salt to taste once cooled for at least half an hour. Add cilantro as a garnish, if using.