Garnet or jewel yams are beautiful and delicious in this soup. Red chili beans substitute nicely for the kidney beans.
Prep Time:45 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour
Total Time:1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
Red kidney beans – 4 cups uncooked red kidney beans
Kombu or kelp – 1 four-inch strip kombu or kelp
Yellow onions – About 4 cups medium, diced
Water – 2-3 tablespoons
Dried basil – 1 tablespoon
Carrots – About 3 cups medium size, diced
Large yams (sweet potatoes) – About 10 cups, peeled and diced
Water – 3 quarts
Sea salt – 1 teaspoon
Black pepper – Dash of black pepper
Brown rice miso – 3 tablespoons
Sweet white miso – 3 tablespoons
Spinach – ½ pound fresh spinach
Instructions
Soak beans overnight with 8 cups of water and the kombu.
Rinse beans and place in a large pressure cooker, or large pot, with kombu or kelp and fresh water to cover beans by 1 to 2 inches.
Bring to boil and skim off any foam. Secure lid and pressure-cook for 45 minutes or less depending on your pressure cooker. Boiling in a pot needs at least 60 minutes of cooking time. After beans are cooked, drain and save bean water. Dice sea vegetable.
In a large 8 quart pot, sauté onions and basil in water for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.
Add carrots, sweet potatoes, and any combination of bean water from the cooked beans, along with fresh water that adds up to 3 quarts.
Bring to boil and then turn the heat down to simmer; cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
Add beans, diced sea vegetable, salt, pepper and misos, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Remove stems from spinach, chop well, and garnish each bowl of soup with the spinach and serve.