Ingredients
Palm fruits
Beef/chicken
Dry fish
Vegetable – scent leaves
Onions
Crayfish
Salt and Chilli pepper to taste
Seasoning – Maggi/Knorr cubes
Before cooking the Banga Soup
Wash and cook the palm fruits till done. A good sign that the palm fruit is done is that you will notice cracks on the flesh of the fruits or you can even bite to feel the softness
Pound the palm fruits in a mortar till all the flesh are separated from the nut to form a smooth pulp
Cook the beef/chicken
While you have the beef/chicken cooking, extract the palm fruit oil from the palm fruit pulp by washing it in warm water. Small quantities of the palm fruit pulp should be washed in as small quantity of warm water as possible. If the palm fruit oil starts getting too thick, pour the liquid into another container through a sieve to prevent the palm fruit fibres from entering into the oil that will be used in cooking the Banga Soup
Repeat this till all the palm fruit pulp has been washed
Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves are what give the Banga Soup its unique aroma and taste. You could use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable in place of scent leaves
Cut a bulb of onions, grind the crayfish and pepper and set aside
Method
Set the pot of palm fruit oil on the burner and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice some clear oil at the surface of the Banga Stew. If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like for your stews
Now, add the beef/chicken, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and cook for five minutes
Add the scent leaves and salt to taste. Leave to cook for two minutes
The Banga Soup is done. Serve with white rice or use the Banga Soup to eat garri, Semolina, amala or pounded yam
