African Tomato & Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato & Chickpeas

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a chopped medium onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the onion starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of ground cloves. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots to the onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the water and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.

Remove the soup from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Using a blender (hand-immersion or regular) or food processor, blend the soup until it is almost a puree. It may be necessary to do this in a couple of batches. Return the soup to the pot and stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts, and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Whisk until the peanut butter is completely combined into the soup.

Stir chickpeas into the soup. Reheat the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.