On January first, our Independence day, most Haitians, if not all, cook soup joumou. It is a very important meal in our culture. This soup is a symbol of our freedom. The story tells that this soup, while often made for the colonizers, was off limits to the slaves. So, when the declaration of Independence was made by our father Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the finally freed Africans and Haitians made the dish to celebrate. Except today, we’re going to make a slight turn and make a vegan version.
Let’s continue and honor tradition by learning how to make this meal.
Ingredients:
Pumpkin
1 yellow yam
2 plantains
3 potatoes
2 malanga
1 batata
1 head of garlic
1 habanero pepper
5-6 springs of thyme
2 tbsp of parsley
8 oz of vemecelli
8 oz of rigatoni pasta
1/2-1 bell pepper
salt to taste. I put 2 tbsp of salt
2 springs of celery
1 onion
3 green onions
3 carrots
half a cabbage
I am using dried parsley. Fresh parsley is preferred.
Let’s get started!!
This dish becomes super easy to make once you get all of your ingredients ready. Pour 6 cups of water in a large pot, add the pumpkin and boil it. In the meantime, dice the carrots, bell pepper, celery, onion, and green onions. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel all the root vegetables and plantain. Dice and rinse them, and let them sit in water until you are ready to use them.
In a very large pot, and I mean a very large pot, add 6-8 cups of water and 2 tbsp of salt. Sea salt is the preferred salt in Haitian cuisine. Add all the root vegetables and plantain and let them cook for about 5 minutes. After that 5 mns, add parsley, thyme, carrot and the 2 pastas and let them cook for about 8-10 minutes. After adding the pasta, if you think it needs more water, add about 1-2 cups.
Once the pumpkin is done cooking (about 5-10 mns), peel it, take off the seeds. Blend the pumpkin with 4-5 cups of water ( the water it was boiled in) until smooth. Add the dice cabbage with the fresh spices (bell pepper, onions, garlic, habanero pepper) when the pastas are almost cook through. After 1-2 minutes, add the pumpkin juice and let it boil uncovered for 5-10 mns. Keep in mind that the soup will thicken considerably as it cools down.
Enjoy
Thank you for your time!