Potato Pepper Soup
Aperçu
Potato pepper soup is a West African pepper soup built on potato rather than meat or fish, hot, thin, aromatic and quick. Pepper soup is a category rather than a single recipe, and what defines it is the spice blend rather than the main ingredient. The essential component is calabash nutmeg, called ehuru or ehu in Nigeria, a seed with a warm, camphorous aroma quite unlike ordinary nutmeg. Alongside it sit uda, uziza seed and other aromatics, ground together into the mixture sold across Nigeria simply as pepper soup spice. That blend is what makes any pepper soup taste like pepper soup, whether the pot contains goat meat, catfish, chicken or, as here, potato. The broth stays thin deliberately. There is no thickener and no palm oil, so the aromatics and the chilli have nowhere to hide, and the heat is meant to be genuine. It is frequently eaten when someone has a cold, on much the same reasoning as Ghanaian light soup. The vegetarian version is an unusual thing in the pepper soup family and makes a quick, light meal.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Pepper soup is defined by its spice blend rather than its main ingredient. The characteristic aromatic is calabash nutmeg, ehuru or ehu, used with uda and uziza seed, and the same blend underpins goat, fish and chicken versions across West Africa.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Peel the Irish Potatoes, rinse and cut into medium cubes.
- 2
Cut the fish head and tail into sizeable chunks.
- 3
Cut the habanero pepper into medium pieces.
- 4
Cut each mushroom into 2 parts.
- 5
Grind the ehu.
- 6
Cut the onion into into thin slices along the bulb. This is so that when they heat up, they will add body to the pepper soup.
- 7
Cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces.
- 8
Pour a small quantity of water into a clean pot and set on the stove.
- 9
The water should just cover the bottom of the pot. Apply medium heat.
- 10
Add the ground ehu, black pepper and stock cube (crushed).Stir and gently place the pieces of fish in the pot.
- 11
Once the bottom heats up, turn the fish around so that all sides will get some heating and become tough.
- 12
.When the fish is well heated all over, remove them from the pot and add the potatoes.
- 13
Add water to cover the potatoes, add the bay leaves and start cooking on high heat till the potatoes are cooked but not soft.
- 14
Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.
- 15
Add the fish (gently), the onions and habanero pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
- 16
Then take out the fish again and add salt to taste. Note: we add the fish, take it out, add, take it out etc so that it does not scatter.
- 17
Stir to make sure everything is incorporated.
Notes de l’Africook
- Buy or grind a proper pepper soup spice blend. Ordinary nutmeg is not a substitute for calabash nutmeg.
- Keep the broth thin. No thickener, no palm oil, that is what makes it pepper soup rather than a stew.
- Add the potato in large pieces so it holds together rather than breaking into the broth.
- Toast the spice blend briefly before the liquid goes in to bring the aromatics forward.
Questions fréquentes
What makes a soup a pepper soup?
The spice blend, not the protein. Calabash nutmeg, ehuru, is the defining aromatic, used with uda, uziza seed and others. The same blend is used whether the pot holds goat meat, catfish, chicken or potato. The broth is also always thin, with no thickener and no palm oil.
Is calabash nutmeg the same as nutmeg?
No, despite the name. Calabash nutmeg is a different seed with a warmer, more camphorous aroma, and substituting ordinary nutmeg will not give you pepper soup. It is sold ground in African grocers, usually within a ready-made pepper soup spice mix, which is the easiest route.
How hot should it be?
Genuinely hot. Pepper soup is named for its heat and it is not usually made mild, the chilli is part of the point, and it is much of why the soup is reached for when someone has a cold. Start with less than you think and add, since blends vary in strength.
Avis
Soyez le premier à noter cette recette
Vous l’avez cuisinée ? Votre note aide la personne suivante à se décider.
Aucun avis sur cette recette pour le moment. Si vous l’avez cuisinée, le vôtre serait le premier.
Vous Aimerez Aussi
Voir toutes les recettes Nigeria →
Edo Black Soup
Nigerian Fisherman Soup
Igbo Yam Porridge
