Although it started as an accident, this Chick Pea Soup with Ginger and Coriander has turned into a favorite in my kitchen. It’s simple, healthy and satisfying and can be on the table in about 10 minutes (ok, maybe 15).
First of all, let me tell you how this soup recipe came about. The truth is, the soup had it’s beginnings as a botched batch of hummus. I tend to use a lot of olive oil in my hummus (and in everything else) so I decided I would try to make a lighter version by blending in some of the liquid from the can of chick peas rather than using extra olive oil to thin it.
I think it was a good idea in theory. The problem was that I added way too much liquid! Ok, I’ll admit it, I just poured the whole can into my food processor. Guess what? That wasn’t a good idea. Yes, I do make mistakes in the kitchen. Often. I just don’t usually tell you about them 
Since I hadn’t added any of the other hummus ingredients at that point, I decided to head in another direction and try making a soup from the thin chick pea puree. I checked the pantry and fridge and pulled out a few inredients I thought would compliment the accidental soup.
That first version was super simple with just a little fresh garlic and ginger, some ground coriander, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Simple, but delicious! Not only that, it was extremely healthy and filling since chick peas are filled with protein and fiber.
I’ve never had an exact recipe for the soup because every time I’ve made it, the ingredients have varied slightly. It’s one of those things where the flavors can be as simple or complex as you want. I took these photos the last time I made it and they’ve been sitting on my computer for a couple of weeks. Of course I forgot to write down exact amounts so you’ll just have to check out the photos, read the method, and wing it. Why not? That’s how the soup happened in the first place 
These are the ingredients I used: extra virgin olive oil, organic canned garbanzo beans (chick peas), ground cumin, ground coriander, half a seeded serrano chili, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, juice from a lime, and cilantro for the garnish.
Step One: Pour one can of organic garbanzo beans, liquid and all, into a food processor or blender.
Step 2: Blend the garbanzo beans into a smooth puree. As you can see, my mini food processor leaks a bit during this process but that doesn’t really matter
This is what the puree will look like. It will be fairly smooth but still a bit grainy in consistency, that’s fine.
Step 3: Get your ingredients ready. Mince or press a couple cloves of garlic, grate a one-inch cube of fresh ginger, mince a chili if you want some heat (I used half a seeded serrano chili), measure out a teaspoon or two of ground coriander and half a teaspoon or so of ground cumin (the amounts are entirely up to you).
Step 4: Heat a medium saucepan and add a tablespoon or so of olive oil
Step 5: Add the garlic and chili and cook for a minute or so.
Step 6: Throw in the grated ginger and cook for a minute or so longer.
Step 7: Add the coriander and cumin and stir for about half a minute until the spices are fragrant.
Step 8: Stir in the chick pea puree. If you want, you can thin the soup with a little chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water. If you are in a hurry, just cook the soup until it’s heated through then taste and season with a bit of salt and pepper. If you have the time, cook the soup for a bit longer on medium-low heat to let the flavors intensify. If you decide to cook the soup longer, it’s best to thin it with the broth or water first because it will thicken again as it cooks and the liquid evaporates.
Step 9: Garnish the soup with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice (lemon would be fine if that’s what you have on hand).
Step 10: Eat.
So that’s it! Simple.
Recipe Notes: If you prefer not to use the liquid from the canned beans, you can drain and rinse them and then puree the beans with some chicken or vegetable broth or water. I’ve done it both ways and I actually liked the original version the best. I’ve been using the organic canned chick peas from Trader Joe’s that are just packed in water and sea salt. Another of my favorite brands of canned beans is Goya. But, use whatever you happen to like!
Beware of adding too much salt if you are using the bean liquid from the can. The beans are packed in salted water so you may not need to add any salt at all. Taste first, then season if necessary!
If you don’t have any fresh chilies but want to add a little heat to the soup, stir in a little crushed red chili. If you really want it spicy, try using both. If you prefer no heat, don’t add either. Feel free to use more garlic and/or ginger if those are flavors that you really like.
The soup is really great with a dollop of plain yogurt on top. Sour cream would also work.
This recipe makes two small servings of soup or one large serving.
Hope you enjoy it!
this soup looks sooo good. i’ve been on a bit of a chickpea binge lately.. working the protein and fiber into the diet and i’m psyched to have a great new recipe to try!! thanks so much
5:04 pm Feb 7th, 2008Randi: It’s definitely an easy way to get a good amount of fiber into one meal! I’m glad you’re excited about the recipe!
5:51 pm Feb 7th, 2008That is a pretty tasty looking soup. It is always nice to accidentally stumble across something good.
5:55 pm Feb 7th, 2008This looks delicious. I just took a cooking class recently where I learned a version of garbanzo bean soup and it was wonderful.
6:40 pm Feb 7th, 2008Excellent soup - and good recovery from your hummous experiment. I’ve never thought to use the liquid from the tin. Instead I always carefully pour it away and thoroughly wash the chick peas. I’m sure I’ve read the liquid didn’t taste very good. Hence the need to wash away every skerrick. But I’ve never tasted it and your soup sounds grand. Lovely picture too.
7:43 pm Feb 7th, 2008What a FABULOUS idea!
7:56 pm Feb 7th, 2008Looks delicious!
That looks great! I’m trying all sorts of soups lately. Maybe I’ll get some chick peas next time I’m in the store. Have a good weekend! ; )
10:18 pm Feb 7th, 2008Hi Nicole - Great recipe!
The quality of your pictures are stunning! I thought my pictures were good, but yours are off the charts. Which camera do you use? How do you manage lighting? Truly, I’m inspired now.
Thanks,
Sid
12:09 am Feb 8th, 2008I made this last night. I got home at 7:10 and had it on the table by 7:30. It was delicious garnshed with a dollop of plain yogurt. Thanks!
5:58 am Feb 8th, 2008I love making accidental recipes! They usually turn out amazing. This soup would probably be great with toasted pita triangles. Thanks for the ideas!
6:56 am Feb 8th, 2008Too funny timing~ Cooks Illustrated just came in the mail last night and actually talked about to use or not to use the juice in the can with beans. Their recommendation was definitely NOT for simple things like hummus when you want the bean flavor bright but to use it for more complex dishes like chili. I’m glad you made the mistake tho~ I really love chickpeas! I’m thinking roasted red pepper might be a nice addition too~ YUM! Thanks
7:08 am Feb 8th, 2008Kevin: Thanks! It was a pleasant surprise
Donna: Cool! I just attended a vegetarian Indian cooking class the other night and it was so much fun. What ingredients went into your garbanzo bean soup?
Kathryn: I used to be the same way about pouring the liquid and rinsing the beans. But I’ve seen so many people using that liquid that I decided there’s probably nothing wrong with it. It’s basically just salt water and I think that the liquid adds a nice consistency to the soup since it is thicker than water. The main reason someone might want to rinse away the canning liquid is if they are on a salt restricted diet. If that’s the case, rinsing away the water will really cut the amount of sodium.
Roni: Thanks!
Anali: I haven’t been eating as many soups lately as I normally would this time of year. But I think I’m going to try out some new soup recipes this month. You should pick up some chick peas at the store, they’re great to have on hand.
Sid: Thanks! For the food photos I am using a Canon EOS 30D. For photos of finished food, I only use natural light so I try to take photos near a window. For the step-by-step photos, I generally have to have the fluorescent lights in the kitchen turned on which is why they those photos always have a yellowish color cast. If I don’t have a lot of light to work with, I use a tripod to steady the camera so I can use a slower shutter speed. But basically I just experiment and see what works
Feel free to e-mail me with specific questions if you want.
Susan: Cool! I mentioned something about the soup being on the table in 10 minutes but I was totally guessing because I’ve never timed it. I really don’t have much concept of time once I enter the kitchen. But on the table 20 minutes after you got home sounds good to me! And you just reminded me that I served it with yogurt last time I made it, too! I might have to edit my post now to include the tip about serving with yogurt.
Anticiplate: A lot of my recipes are accidental
Yes, toasted pita would be great. I ate it with homemade whole wheat garlic croutons once and that was really good.
Tempered Woman: That is funny! I think I let my Cook’s Illustrated subscription lapse so I haven’t seen that one. I’ve heard it both ways. But really, in this recipe, I don’t notice any ‘off’ flavor at all. But it’s definitely easy enough to rinse the beans and add another liquid. And also, if you do decide to use the liquid from the can, make sure there aren’t any strange ingredients listed. There are only three ingredients in my Trader Joe’s beans: organic garbanzo beans, water, and sea salt. Roasted red peppers would be so good! You could really take this soup in any direction you want!
8:07 am Feb 8th, 2008wow! That looks delicious! I’ll have to try it!!
9:46 am Feb 8th, 2008Lydia: Thanks, hope you enjoy it!
10:15 am Feb 8th, 2008Photos look great! Recipe is interesting, I’m not a hummus fan (which means it is probably healthy and good for me), but I’m willing to try new things!
11:24 am Feb 8th, 2008Don’t worry, Ruby. The soup doesn’t taste like hummus
11:53 am Feb 8th, 2008This recipe looks wonderful and good for a tiny budget. I would like it if you had the ingredients all in one paragraph, because I am afraid that I might omit something when they are in the copy. Thanks
12:10 pm Feb 8th, 2008You’re a girl after my chickpea-loving heart!
I love how you tapped into your creative side to come out with this soup.
1:04 pm Feb 8th, 2008mmmmmmmmmm this sounds yummy.
1:33 pm Feb 8th, 2008Think i’ll make it for lunch tomorrow
Chloe: Yes, it’s a very economical recipe. And if you happen to have the time to cook the garbanzo beans instead of using canned, it gets even cheaper. But that kind of defeats the purpose of this recipe which is supposed to be very quick! And you’re right, I should have just written out a standard recipe. But if you hit the ‘print this’ button down at the bottom, you’ll see a version without photos and it looks more like a regular recipe. I do have the ingredients listed towards the top, just not exact amounts. If you need something different, e-mail me and I’ll send you a better version
Karen:
TomC: Cool! Glad you like it
1:45 pm Feb 8th, 2008Hey Nicole, this soup looks amaaaazing!!! And thanks for commenting on my tzatziki blog. I was surprised to see a “stranger” find my blog, but I have now found a great new blog to add to my Google Reader. I think I may have to try this soup asap, especially if we actually have some colder weather around here.
10:57 am Feb 9th, 2008This sounds delish.
I love soup…I can eat soup all year long. And while y chick peas have been reserved for salads and hummus mainly, this sounds like something I shall try,.
Loved the pics, too. They only enhanced everything.
Hey Nicole—-would you ever put beer or a dash of mustard or mustard powder in your cheddar cheese soup?
Just curious.
12:32 pm Feb 9th, 2008LK
I’m definitely trying this tomorrow. I LOVE chick peas, ginger AND cilantro!
5:32 pm Feb 9th, 2008Emily: Thanks! I’m glad you like the blog, I’ll check in on yours too from time to time
5:36 pm Feb 9th, 2008Laurie: Glad you like it! And yes to the beer and mustard powder! I love beer cheese soup and I think mustard powder is a great addition to anything with cheddar in it!
Jonathan Cool! I thought the flavors might be right up your alley
[…] Soup Recipe: Chick Peas, Ginger, and Coriander, Oh my! — Pinch My Salt (tags: recipe soup chickpeas ginger coriander) […]
8:56 am Feb 10th, 2008This is on the menu for this week.
12:02 pm Feb 10th, 2008Thanks again for another inspiring recipe!
Must. Not. Read. Food blogs. Before. Lunch…..
1:53 pm Feb 11th, 2008I’m a chick-pea lover. This one sounds absolutely delish…and I think my kids might eat it, too, which is a special add-on bonus. I’ll give it a try and report back! Cross your fingers!!
Cee: You’re welcome! I’m glad one of my recipes is making on the menu
4:06 pm Feb 11th, 2008bad home cook: I totally understand about reading food blogs before mealtimes! It can be torture! Hope your kids like it. You could play around with the spices a bit to make it more kid friendly although I’m not exactly sure what to add or delete since I don’t cook for kids very often
Your honesty in this recipe is fresh and added to the humor. Just yesterday I bought 2 tins of chick peas, one went in my pumpkin, sweet potato & chick pea curry, the other ‘was’ for my dip, not now that I’ve seen this. Great stuff Nicole. Regards John
2:49 am Feb 12th, 2008Thank you for two things. First, I’m always in the mood for a good soup recipe. This looks great. Second, the story of how this soup came to be is awesome. It’s nice to know that even great cooks make mistakes now and then like the rest of us. You turned yours into something really cool.
6:06 am Feb 12th, 2008John: The curry sounds so good! I’m going to make a cauliflower curry this afternoon and I can’t wait
Mark: You’re very welcome! I make mistakes all the time but since I rarely follow exact recipes anymore, the ‘mistakes’ usually become an inspiration for something new. But sometimes the mistakes just go in the garbage like the pot of beans I burned the other day that filled the whole kitchen with smoke
7:47 am Feb 12th, 2008twas made for Sunday lunch and was as scrummy as the picture suggests
12:14 pm Feb 12th, 2008mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Hi, I just found your blog and I have to say that I like what I’ve seen so far! I’ll be stopping by frequently. (As if I should spend more time on this computer!)
11:30 am Feb 15th, 2008oh, my. this looks so, so good. i will definitely be trying this soon. (found your blog through other Whipped.) thanks!
2:36 pm Feb 21st, 2008[…] Bloggers:(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)Accidental Chickpea, Ginger, and Coriander Soup from Pinch My SaltCooking Dried Chickpeas and Spicy Hummus from Gluten-Free BayHummus from Simply […]
8:02 pm Feb 21st, 2008Yum. What a really wonderful accident. Chickpeas and ginger are such a good combination.
3:48 pm Feb 22nd, 2008Hey Nicole, I was wondering if you had any suggestions on a coriander substitute. I don’t have any coriander or cilantro, and I’m thinking about making this soup today.
11:37 pm Feb 22nd, 2008Emily: Perhaps you could consider lemon and chives?
8:28 am Feb 23rd, 2008Emily: Just make the recipe without the coriander and add just a bit more cumin. It should be just fine
8:28 am Feb 23rd, 2008I made it tonight and it was delicious. Yay for “accidents”!
7:15 pm Feb 23rd, 2008There ain’t nothing wrong with chick peas! Thanks for the recipe, dinner is served.
5:24 am Mar 11th, 2008[…] The Accidental Soup Recipe: Chick Peas, Ginger, and Coriander, Oh my! […]
4:40 pm Mar 18th, 2008[…] a mortar or pestle or some improvisation of that tool. Add one teaspoon each of red pepper flakes, coriander, mustard seeds, garam masala, and […]
11:08 am Mar 21st, 2008Wow… this was amazing. I made it for my dinner tonight and I’m having the leftovers tomorrow. This is probably the easiest soup I’ve ever made… and so much flavor! The only change I made was to boil the chickpeas whole with everything else and then combine everything with an immersion blender.
11:09 am Mar 30th, 2008[…] just waiting to be used. So I went through my list of recipes to try and found this recipe for Chickpea, Ginger and Coriander Soup. This soup may have changed my life. Not only is it astoundingly delicious, but I realized how easy […]
8:47 am Apr 2nd, 2008I love this soup — as someone else said, it’s silly easy, and it tastes *so good. I’m not a fan of traditional breakfast food, so I’ve been making this for my breakfast. In fact, there’s a pot of it going right now.
7:54 am Apr 22nd, 2008Robin: So glad you love the soup! I think it would be great for breakfast…I’m about to eat some black beans and couscous for breakfast myself
7:59 am Apr 22nd, 2008Hmmm, black beans and couscous, you say? Sounds like perfect breakfast food! lol.
12:01 pm Apr 22nd, 2008