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Soup recipes are delicious and perfectly capable of being a meal within themselves. Pair with some fresh, crusty bread or throw in some cooked pasta shells and enjoy! Nigeria has its own host of scrumptious soup recipes, and here are two firm favourites:
Fish Pepper Soup
Fish is a staple ingredient that is found in tons of Nigerian recipes, and this recipe, in particular, is sure to tantalise those spice-lovers' taste buds. Here's how to make Fish Pepper Soup the traditional way:
- Fresh fish of your choice
- Ehu or Ariwo or calabash
- 4 nutmeg seeds
- Pepper (to taste)
- 2 tsp. (10 ml) of dry Uziza (optional)
- 2 medium onion bulbs
- 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) of ground Crayfish
- Salt to taste
- 2 fish stock cubes
1. Place the pieces of fish into a pot and pour just enough water to cover the contents.
2. Add your stock cubes and onions and cook until all ingredients are done.
3. When some of the water has evaporated, add more water to bring it back up to the level of the contents of the pot.
4. Add the ground Ehu, Crayfish, dry Uziza, chilli pepper and salt to taste.
5. Cover the pot and leave to boil for five minutes and the pepper soup will be ready to be served.
6. Always serve hot with thick slices of a bread of your choice.
Native Soup
If you are looking to load up on vegetables, this hearty Native Soup is a fantastic way of getting your daily recommended intake. By adding some fish and fragrant spices, you'll be adding this soup dish to your meal planner time and time again.
- Tilapia (or any type of fish that you would like)
- Mussels
- Ngolo (clams)
- Prawns
- Large Shrimps
- Periwinkles
- Crayfish
- 3 pieces of Cocoyam - to be used as a thickener
- Palm Oil
- Fresh pepper - Ata Rodo or chilli
- Chopped red onion
- Salt
- Stock Cubes
- Scent Leaf - basil or Efinrin
Preparation Method:
1. Prep your ingredients. Put the cocoyam in to boil (leave the skin on) until it can be pierced through easily with a fork. Cut the fish into 3 or 4 pieces, clean the seafood and set aside. Chop the red onion and roughly blend 2 - 3 pieces of fresh Ata Rodo (scotch bonnet/habanero pepper). Roughly blend the crayfish.
2. Heat up the palm oil and saute the chopped onion.
3. Lower the heat, add the fish and let it fry for a short while. Add fresh pepper, sprinkle in stock cubes and add a little more water - just about enough to cook the fish. Cover the pan and let it cook.
4. To keep the fish intact, carefully take it out and then add the medley of seafood. Leave to cook until the prawns and shrimp turn a lovely shade of pink, and the mussels and clams have opened. This is a sign that they are ready.
5. Again, just as with the fish, take the seafood out to prevent over-cooking.
6. The Cocoyams should have completely cooked by now. Peel off the skin and pound into a smooth paste.
7. Add it to the fish stock in lumps, which will dissolve completely into the stock to thicken it. Then add the crayfish, stir and taste for salt and seasoning.
8. Re-introduce the cooked fish and seafood and shake the pot in a circular motion a few times to redistribute.
9. Finish off by adding freshly chopped scent leaf. You can also use bitter leaf, Utazi or Uziza.
There are many other delicious soup recipes that can be found on the internet, particularly on meal planning websites filled with easy dinner recipes and more. Other traditional Nigerian soup recipes include Oha Soup, Banga Soup, Egusi Soup, Nsala Soup, Edikang Ikong Soup, Owu Soup and quite a few more. All of these soups are so delicious that you'll enjoy them regardless of the season.
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