Groundnut soup, also known as Omisagwe, is a soup made from peanuts or groundnuts, usually with various other ingredients. It is a staple of African cuisines in countries such as Nigeria and Ghana. In Nigeria, among the Benin(Edo) people, it’s a native soup often eaten with pounded yam. It’s also interesting to note that, it’s prepared the same way as Egusi soup.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g of raw peeled groundnuts (ensure to roast the raw groundnuts in a pan, stir in a pan until slightly brown. After it cools, grind until powder form).
- Assorted meat and fish, preferably beef, shaki (cow tripe), dry fish, stockfish (Okporoko)
- Palm oil
- A small bunch of Nigerian pumpkin leaves(Ugu) or bitter leaf( depending on the leaf you use to prepare your egusi soup).
- 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
- 2 big stock cubes
- Salt and ground dry cayenne pepper or habanero pepper (rodo, small red pepper) to taste.
N.B: Before cooking Groundnut soup
- Ensure to soak the stockfish and dry fish for a few hours, when soft, clean the fish, remove the bones and separate them into small pieces.
- Wash and cut the leaves into tiny pieces.
DIRECTIONS
- Start by cooking the shaki (since it happens to be the toughest meat). Ensure the water in the pot is just a little higher than the contents of the pot, add more water if you feel a need to.
- When the shaki starts to soften and curl, add the dry fish and stockfish.
- As the shaki softens, add the beef and the stock cubes, and cook until all the meat and fish are well done.
- Add crayfish at this point, salt and pepper and cover the pot and cook, till it boils.
- Drain out the meat and fish and put in a different pot, leaving the stock in the former pot.
- Add the ground groundnuts (no pun intended) and stir well until there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to a very low level and start cooking.
- Stir every 5 minutes and top up water as stated earlier, if need be. Note that this mixture burns easily so watch closely and stir continuously if necessary.
- Cook till a thin film of clear oil appears on the surface, which should take about 15 minutes. Add palm oil and stir very well.
- Add the meat and fish, stir and cook on low heat till it cooks properly.
- Add vegetables (if you prefer your soup with it), stir and leave to simmer. Stir for the last time and voila our groundnut soup is ready.
- Serve soup with any form of swallow.
Check out this article for the types of Swallow you can combine with your groundnut soup.
Image credit: knorr.ng
