Emefa's Page - Food from Ghana

Groundnut soup ( also known as Peanut soup)

Groundnuts( peanuts) play a basic role in some soup making in the typical West African Culture. The soup can be made with meat, poultry, fish and some vegetables. It can also be eaten with a variety of foods including fufu, rice, banku and kenkey ( local foods of Ghanaian culture)

Ingredients:

300 groundnut paste or peanut butter
1-2 litres water
2-3 onions
400 g fresh tomatoes
20 ml tomato puree
1 medium size ginger
1 tsp. thyme
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 garden eggs
1 tbs. hot chili powder
200 g okro ( okra)
1 kg soup meat

Preparation

Put the groundnut paste or the peanut butter in a cooking pot and add a little bit of water.
Stir until it`s well mixed with the water and cook the mixture at low temperature ( It should be stirred constantly , to prevent it from burning.) for about half an hour. Let it cool down and remove evt. oil from the top.
Steam the meat with fine sliced onions for about 20 minutes.
Add the pepper, thyme, very fine crushed or sliced ginger, the bay leaves and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Mix the groundnut paste or the peanut butter with the water ( peanut butter should be sift to get the rough particles out ) and add it to the steamed meat.
Add the tomatoes, okro and the garden eggs. ( if fresh tomatoes are used, blend after half an hour.) Cook it at low temperature, for at least 1-2 hours.( you will have running stomach, if the groundnut soup is not cooked well ) Stir it once in a while.
Serve with: yam, rice, fufu, potatoes, plantains, kenkey etc.