3 Ghanaian soups to recreate this weekend

Ghana’s soup repertoire does not get nearly enough attention outside the country. While the jollof debate takes up most of the conversation, the soups are where a lot of the real cooking happens. Light soup, palm nut soup and groundnut soup each have their own character, and all three are straightforward enough to make at home.

Here is what you need to get started.

Light soup (Nkrakra)

Light soup is one of the most common dishes in Ghanaian cooking. Known as Nkrakra, it is a spicy, tomato-based broth made with fresh tomatoes, ginger, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers and onions. It is deeply rooted in Akan culture, particularly among the Ashanti and Fante people, though it is made across the country. What distinguishes it from most other West African soups is its consistency. It is thin and watery by design, and the tomatoes, peppers and onions are boiled before being blended rather than blended raw. It is traditionally served with fufu.

Ingredients

Meat (chicken or goat), fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet peppers, tomato paste, fish, spices of choice, salt and seasoning to taste, water.

Steps

• Season the meat with blended onions, garlic, ginger and spices. Steam until tender.
• Add fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers to the meat, then add water and cook until the vegetables are tender.
• Remove the boiled vegetables, blend them smooth and pour back into the soup through a sieve.
• Add tomato paste and fish, then simmer until the soup is light and fragrant.
• Serve with fufu, rice balls (omo tuo), boiled yam or banku.

Palm nut soup (Abenkwan)

Known as Abenkwan, palm nut soup is a rich, oily and nutritious soup made from the pulp of boiled and pounded palm fruits. It is widely eaten in Ghana and appears in varying forms across West Africa. It is traditionally paired with fufu, banku or rice balls.

Ingredients

Palm nut extract (from fresh palm fruits or canned palm cream), assorted meats (goat meat, oxtail, beef, chicken or cow foot), smoked and dried fish (tilapia, catfish, tuna or mackerel), herring powder, smoked shrimp powder or crayfish, fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, anise seeds, bay leaves, bouillon cubes, prekese (aidan fruit), turkey berries (abeduru), okra, garden eggs, salt and water.

Steps

• Boil fresh palm nuts for 30 to 45 minutes until the skin softens. Pound in a mortar to separate the pulp from the kernels without breaking them. Add 4 to 6 cups of hot water to the mash, massage to release the oils, then strain through a fine sieve into a clean pot. If using canned cream, mix the concentrate with 3 to 4 cups of warm water until smooth before adding to the pot.
• Blend onion, ginger, garlic and anise seeds into a paste. Place the meat in a pot, pour the paste over it, add salt and a bouillon cube and steam on medium heat for 15 minutes until halfway cooked.
• Pour the palm nut liquid into the pot with the meat. Add whole tomatoes, onion and peppers. Bring to a vigorous boil uncovered for 20 minutes until dark red oil begins to rise to the surface.
• Remove the softened tomatoes, onion and peppers, blend into a smooth puree and stir back into the soup. Add the bruised prekese and turkey berries if using.
• Add the smoked and dried fish, shrimp or crayfish powder, and okra or garden eggs if using. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. The soup is ready when it is thick, deep red and a clear layer of palm oil has settled on top.
• Leave the pot slightly open while simmering to help the oil rise.

Groundnut soup (Nkatenkwan)

Also known as Nkatenkwan in Twi or Azidetsi in Ewe, groundnut soup is a rich, creamy staple of Ghanaian cooking made primarily from natural peanut butter and a tomato-based broth, seasoned with ginger, garlic and scotch bonnet peppers. It is commonly made with chicken, beef, goat meat or smoked fish, and the consistency can range from a thin broth to a thick stew depending on preference. The key indicator that the soup is ready is when the natural oils from the peanut butter rise to the surface. It is served as a swallow dish, paired with fufu, rice balls (omo tuo), banku, kenkey or kokonte.

Ingredients

1 to 2 lbs chicken, beef or smoked fish, 1 cup natural unsweetened groundnut paste (peanut butter), 2 large onions, 4 to 5 cloves garlic, 2-inch piece of ginger, 3 large tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 to 4 scotch bonnet peppers, salt to taste, water. Optional: okra, garden eggs or mushrooms.

Steps

• Season the meat with salt and a blended mixture of one onion, ginger and garlic. Place in a pot on medium heat and steam in its own juices for 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a separate saucepan, mix the groundnut paste with 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste until smooth. Heat on low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and a layer of clear oil rises to the surface, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the whole tomatoes, remaining onion and scotch bonnets to the meat pot. Add enough water to cover and boil until soft. Remove the vegetables, blend into a smooth puree and strain back into the pot.
• Pour the cooked groundnut mixture into the pot with the meat and vegetable base. Add 1.5 to 2 litres of water depending on your preferred consistency.
• Bring to the boil then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. The soup is ready when the foam disappears and red oil pools on the surface. Taste and adjust seasoning.