Nigerian cuisine is blessed with a variety of fresh organic produce, tastes and cooking styles due to its climate range and hundreds of ethnic groups, respectively. While its list of options is certainly mind-boggling, Naija Guide simplifies your search with the two delicious yet easy-to-do soup recipes.
- Tomato stew
This is a good place to start if you’re unfamiliar with Nigerian food. Tomatoes, peppers, onions (tomato stew foundation), and spices are the main ingredients in this Nigerian tomato stew.
Items needed:
- 500g beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, offals (any protein of choice), washed
- 2 seasoning cubes
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 cups tomato stew base
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- 1/2 medium onions
Directions:
- Place washed meat in a pot of boiling water. Season with 1/2 tsp each of salt, curry powder, thyme, and some sliced onions. Cook until they are tender.
- Take out the meat and strain their stock using a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Set it aside.
- Place the pot again over medium heat, add the tomato stew base and two cups of stock. Let boil for two minutes, then add the dry thyme, curry powder, and seasoning cubes. Stir and let simmer for three minutes.
- Add the meat back into the pot. Bring to a boil for about three to five minutes. Stir, taste, and correct seasoning to your liking.
- Serve with either white rice, fried yam, plantain, etc.
- Egusi soup
Egusi soup is arguably the most universally enjoyed and cooked Nigerian soup, seeing how each tribe has their own version of it. Here’s how it is done.
Items needed:
- 1/4 cup crayfish
- 1 shrimp seasoning cube, also known as Maggi Crayfish or Maggi Crevette
- 2 lbs meat and fish, or a variety of goat meat, stockfish and chicken
- 1/2 to 1 cup chopped greens
- 3/4 cup palm oil
- 2 cups egusi, not ground
- 1 habanero pepper
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
Directions:
- Boil the meat and fish. Add 1 tsp salt in the middle of the cooking process. Take them out and strain their stock using a fine-mesh strainer. Set both aside.
- Grind the egusi in a small cup of a blender or food processor.
- Add palm oil to a pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent and fragrant.
- Add the ground egusi. Cook them for five to seven minutes, or until the egusi starts to shrink and sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Put only 1 tsp crayfish, stir, then add the cooked meat and their stock. Let simmer for two to three minutes before adding the remaining crayfish, crayfish seasoning cube, habanero, and extra water based on your desired thickness. Stir again, taste, and correct seasonings to your liking. Once done, let simmer again for five to 10 minutes.
- Throw in the greens and briefly cook for about two to three minutes.
- Serve and enjoy with your preferred side dishes.
