Goat Meat Pepper Soup
Overview
To cook goat meat pepper soup, you coat chopped goat in scotch bonnet, onion, pepper soup spice and chilli and let it sweat in its own juices for about five minutes. Go easy on that spice, since too much of it is what makes pepper soup bitter. Next, cover the meat with water, bring it to the boil, then simmer gently with the lid partly on for 30 to 40 minutes until it's tender. Crayfish and uziza leaves go in at the end. Pepper soup turns bitter when there's too much of the spice blend. If yours already tastes bitter, don't try to season your way out of it; add more water or stock and turn the heat down. Pepper soup is eaten in Nigeria, where it's especially popular in the south, and in Cameroon too. It's a family of soups rather than one recipe, and what ties them together is the broth: thin, light and properly hot. This version keeps it clear, with no tomato, oil or thickener. The spice blend is built around ehuru, also called calabash or African nutmeg. Uziza seed and other aromatics go in with it, and those change from home to home. Goat gives a deeper broth than lighter meats, but it needs time. In Nigeria pepper soup is served to people who are unwell, and new mothers sometimes have it as well. Eat it on its own as a starter, or with yam, plantain or rice for a full meal.
AFN Heritage Note
Pepper soup belongs to the southern Nigerian tradition of clear spiced broths built on a blend that includes African nutmeg, known as ehuru, and uziza seed. The blend's composition varies regionally, and the soup is documented as being served to people recovering from illness and to women after childbirth.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Place the chopped goat meat in a pot.
- 2
Add the minced scotch bonnet peppers, chopped onion and one seasoning cube.
- 3
Sprinkle the ground pepper soup spice and chilli pepper over the meat.
- 4
Mix well so the meat is coated with the spices, then set over medium heat and let the meat cook in its own juices for about 5 minutes, stirring once.
- 5
Add enough water to cover the goat meat.
- 6
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially so steam can escape, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the goat is tender.
- 7
Stir in the ground crayfish, then add the chopped uziza leaves and stir.
- 8
Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Deborah Olayiwola- Let the meat sweat in its own juices for the first five minutes before any water goes in. This is where the spice gets into the meat rather than staying in the broth.
- Too much pepper soup spice turns the broth bitter. If that happens, add more water or stock and bring the heat down rather than trying to season around it.
- A pressure cooker takes goat from forty minutes to about fifteen. Alternatively boil the meat the night before, which is what most households do when they want this on a weekday.
- Shoulder and shank are the right cuts. Both carry the connective tissue that yields a good broth over a long simmer.
- Bitter leaf or parsley will stand in for uziza. Grind or mince the onion if you would rather not see pieces of it in a clear broth.
Questions cooks ask
Why is my pepper soup bitter?
Most often it's too much pepper soup spice, because the blend is strong and turns bitter past a certain amount. Add more water or stock and bring the heat down to a gentle simmer, rather than trying to season around it.
What spices are in goat meat pepper soup?
The main one is pepper soup spice, a ground blend built around ehuru (calabash nutmeg) with uziza seed and other aromatics that vary by region and household. This recipe adds scotch bonnet, chilli pepper, crayfish, onion and seasoning cubes, then finishes with uziza leaves. Nigerian grocers sell the blend ready ground.
How do you make goat meat tender for pepper soup?
Choose shoulder or shank, which have the connective tissue that softens over a long simmer. Bring it to the boil, then keep it at a low simmer with the lid partly on for 30 to 40 minutes, longer if it needs it. A pressure cooker brings that down to about 15 minutes, or you can boil the meat the night before, which is handy if you want it on a weekday.
Can you eat goat meat pepper soup with yam?
Yes. Boiled yam is one of the classic partners, and it turns a light bowl into a full meal. Boiled plantain and white rice work the same way. On its own, it's a starter or a light meal.
What can I use instead of uziza leaves?
Parsley or bitter leaf will stand in for uziza leaves in this recipe. If your broth is already on the bitter side, use parsley. Add either one right at the end.
Reviews
4 reviews
You Might Also Like
Browse all Nigerian recipes →
Edo Black Soup
Nigerian Fisherman Soup
Igbo Yam Porridge
Used 500g of goat shoulder cut into cubes. The 2 tablespoons of chilli pepper on top of 3 scotch bonnets made it far too hot to drink comfortably, I had to pour in another 300ml of water to calm the burn down. Good flavour from the ground crayfish though, lekker warm soup once stretched out.
The scent leaf gives a slightly different kick than uziza oo, but this recipe came out so good paa. Letting the goat simmer in its own juices with the pepper soup spice before pouring the water makes the broth so rich. Chale 3 scotch bonnets was fiery though!
Ah, letting the goat sweat in the minced scotch bonnet and onion for that first 5 minutes made all the difference sha. E sweet bad! I added one extra pepper because pepper soup is not proper pepper soup if your eyes are not watering o.
could not get fresh uziza anywhere so used parsley like suggested. bought good halved goat chops from the halal butcher on Stapleton Road. ground crayfish gave the broth such a rich depth. reminded me of cold evenings back home.