Virtually every major city in the world has it selling point. Dublin is famous for a particularly popular dark beer. Rio has its massive statue of Jesus. London has that wacky Windsor family in their palace. With Nashville, the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind is country music.

So it’s no surprise that even the city’s indie rock bands want to get in on the action, and The Silver Seas recently announced that their fourth crack of the studio whip would be a country album.

What is a little more startling is that even though their lead singer, Daniel Tashian, could in theory partake of the finest Southern Barbecue right on his Nashville doorstep, he is in fact a vegetarian. He revealed this when I asked him about Tennessee cuisine and what his favourite hangover food was. "It's all about hot chicken and pulled pork here," he said. "But for the morning after, I like eggs, toast and tortillas with hot sauce and maybe some veggie sausage, because I'm a vegetarian."

While the aromas of barbecued fowl and swine may not tempt Tashian, he sure isn’t afraid of hitting his food with the levels of spice he grew up with. The dish he shares with us today is a wicked stew, loaded with ginger and Sriracha, the Thai chilli sauce that makes Tabasco seem like lite beer.

“It comes together quickly and would be a great weeknight meal. If you love spicy flavours like me, don’t hesitate to use liberal amounts of ginger and garlic.”

Daniel, we salute your unique take on Southern comfort.

INGREDIENTS

1 l t low-sodium vegetable broth
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 t b sp s peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t sp salt
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch strips
¾ cup unsalted peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
½ cup tomato paste, or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
Sriracha hot sauce – use to taste but don't hold back
¼ cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish

METHOD
In a medium-sized stock pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and salt. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Grab a bowl and combine the peanut butter and tomato paste, then transfer 1 to 2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl. Whisk the mixture together until smooth, then pour the peanut -stock mixture back into the soup and mix well. Stir in the kale and season the soup with hot sauce to taste. Simmer for about 15 more minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often. Serve over cooked brown rice if you’d like, and top with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.