Groundnut Soup
Overview
To make Edo groundnut soup, you blend roasted groundnuts into a thick paste with a little stock, uziza, onion and crayfish. Then you stir it slowly into a pot of assorted meat, stockfish, smoked fish and palm oil. Stop adding paste once it's as thick as you like it, and put the leaves in near the end. This is an Edo groundnut soup, the kind the Etsako people of Edo State call omisagwe, and it's associated with the Owan people too. In Edo it's served with pounded yam, fufu, eba or starch. Peanut soups and stews turn up all over West Africa, with relatives such as nkatenkwan in Ghana, maafe in Senegal, domoda in the Gambia and tigadèguèna in Mali. This recipe uses bitter leaf or ugu (pumpkin leaves), and efirin, the Nigerian basil, goes in once the heat is off. There's no correct thickness, which is why the paste goes in a little at a time. And the palm oil floating on top at the end is meant to be there.
AFN Heritage Note
Groundnut soup is documented across West Africa under names including maafe in Wolof, tigadèguèna in Bambara and domoda in the Gambia, and is traced to the Mandinka and Bambara peoples of Mali. In Nigeria it is particularly associated with the Etsako people of Edo State, who know it as omisagwe.
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
Boil the tougher meats first in a pot over medium heat. Add water to cover, along with onions, seasoning cube and salt, and cook until slightly tender.
- 2
Add the softer meats and the stockfish, along with the scotch bonnet and the crayfish, and cook until soft.
- 3
Meanwhile, put the groundnuts into a blender or dry mill and blend until smooth. Roasted groundnuts are preferred.
- 4
Add some of the stock to the blended groundnut, along with the uziza, onions and crayfish, and blend to a thick fine paste. Set aside.
- 5
Wash and cut the pumpkin leaves into small pieces. If using bitter leaf, wash it very well to reduce the bitterness.
- 6
Add the smoked fish to the pot, turn off the heat and leave it to sit in the stock for a few minutes.
- 7
Add water to bring the temperature down and return to a low heat.
- 8
Stir the palm oil into the stock and let it combine.
- 9
Add the groundnut paste gradually, judging the thickness as you go, and season with bouillon cube and salt.
- 10
Stir until smooth with no lumps, then add the washed leaves, using a light hand.
- 11
Turn off the heat and stir through the efirin or basil leaves.
- 12
Finish with a little more palm oil so it floats on the surface, and serve with any swallow.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Beatrice Ige- Add the groundnut paste gradually rather than all at once. It is the only way to control the thickness, and there is no correct answer, only your preference.
- Use roasted groundnuts. Raw ones give a flat, slightly green flavour that the long cooking does not fix.
- Wash bitter leaf thoroughly if you use it, squeezing it through several changes of water until the bitterness drops to a level you want.
- Stir constantly as the paste goes in. Groundnut paste clumps easily and lumps will not disperse once formed.
- Add the efirin off the heat. Its aroma is volatile and cooking it destroys the reason for adding it.
- This soup contains peanut throughout and is not safe for anyone with a peanut allergy.
Questions cooks ask
What is the origin of groundnut soup?
Peanut soups and stews are cooked right across West Africa, and several countries in the region have their own version. The Nigerian one on this page is an Edo soup, associated with the Etsako and Owan people, and the Etsako call it omisagwe. Ghana's nkatenkwan, Senegal's maafe and Mali's tigadèguèna are relatives.
What are the ingredients for groundnut soup?
Roasted groundnuts, assorted meat such as beef, tripe and cow skin, dry fish, stockfish, smoked fish, ground crayfish, palm oil, onion, scotch bonnet, uziza seed, bouillon cubes and salt. For greens you'll want bitter leaf or ugu, plus efirin if you have it. The groundnuts are blended with some of the stock, the uziza, onion and crayfish to make the paste that thickens the soup.
How do you cook groundnut soup with bitter leaf?
Wash the bitter leaf well first, squeezing it through several changes of water until the bitterness drops to where you like it. Stir it in once the groundnut paste has gone in and the soup is smooth, using a light hand, then turn off the heat. It's a groundnut soup with some greens in it, not a vegetable soup.
What do you eat groundnut soup with?
In Edo it's served with pounded yam, fufu, eba or starch. In Ghana, groundnut soup is often eaten with fufu, omo tuo or banku. Any swallow you like will do.
Can you make groundnut soup with fish?
Yes, and this recipe already uses three kinds: dry fish, stockfish and smoked fish, alongside the assorted meat. The stockfish cooks with the softer meats, while the smoked fish goes in later and sits in the hot stock for a few minutes off the heat before the palm oil and paste go in.
Reviews
6 reviews
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blending the roasted groundnut directly with the stock and ata rodo before pouring it back in the pot is the true secret. I was worried the oil from the peanuts would separate too much, but it thickened up beautifully after ten minutes. Perfect for this Chicago cold.
Amaka, blending it directly with the stock is the trick sha! The first time I tried it I was scared the oil would ruin everything, but it always thickens up so well. This Manchester cold is no be small thing too, so I understand you completely o.
Getting decent dry fish in Berlin is hard abeg, had to use just smoked mackerel from the Afroshop in Wedding. The soup turned out too oily because I used store-bought peanut butter instead of grinding whole roasted peanuts like step 3 says. My fault, but it made the stock super heavy.
Made this yesterday after buying shaki and smoked fish from Southwest Farmers Market in Houston. Only thing is 60 minutes total cook time was a bit short for my cow skin to get properly soft, had to boil it an extra 20 mins before adding the groundnut paste. Taste was top notch sha.
Herh, putting bitter leaf and uziza seed in groundnut soup is pure Nigerian style oo! In Kumasi here we make nkatenkwan with tomatoes and garden eggs, but I tried this version with the crayfish and smoked fish. The pepper kick with the groundnut paste was very nice, chale.
could not find fresh ugu anywhere here in Atlanta so I used frozen spinach instead, but blending the roasted peanuts with warm stock and uziza made the whole kitchen smell like home. turned out thick and rich o, went so well with pounded yam.