Category: Sauces & Soups

Sauces & Soups

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Ivorian Pepper Soup

This Ivoirian pepper soup is a quick meal loaded with goat meat and spices in an onion, tomato and eggplant broth. The Ivoirian pepper soup tastes the same in all west Africa but we all have a different way of cooking it. for this recipe the whole tomato, onion and eggplant is cooked with the goat (or meat of your choice) and the spices; once the goat meat is tender the tomatoes, onion, and eggplants are pureed and added back to the stock and the goat meat.

Ivorian Pepper Soup
Ivorian Pepper Soup

Obviously, the authentic pepper soup is very spicy, but you can adjust the pepper to you family’s taste. Typically, the pepper is treated like the whole tomato, onion and eggplant but I leave them whole because of my kids. It can be prepared with various meats, such as fish, shrimp, tripe, oxtail, chicken, goat, beef and/or cow. The Ivoirian pepper soup can be cooked using several meats in the same pot.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo of goat meat
  • 1 big eggplant
  • 1 large tomatoes
  • 1 big onions
  • 3 peppers
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 5 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoon ginger
  • 1 cube Maggi
  • Salt

How to make Ivorian Pepper Soup?

Add the meat in a saucepan, add enough water to cover the meat.

Add a tablespoon of concentrated tomato, garlic and ginger.

Add onion, eggplant and tomatoe.

Cover and let boil for 20 minutes and make sure the vegetables are well cooked. At this point the meat should be half cooked and tender.

Remove the vegetables and crush and add the crushed vegetables, pepper and the cube.

Let it simmer for 15 minutes and season to taste!

Ivorian Pepper Soup
Ivorian Pepper Soup

You can accompany your sauce with foutou banana or rice.

Here are couples of Foufou recipes
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Jute leaves (Adémé Soup)

Adémé (Adémédéssi ou Adémé déssi)

My grandmother’s Adémé is my favorite soup. I remember my grandmother harvesting the Adémé the day before and letting it see overnight. The next day, we had to remove the dark end of the stem and remove the leave from the big stems. Next my grandmother washes the leaves with a drop of bleach to make sure they are no earthworm on the leaves. She will cook down the Adémé leaves with a lot of love, in a very simple way with doevi and serve it with Ewokoume.

The Adémé is also called Jute leaves or Lalo cultivated in the Caribbea, in Africa and in the USA during the summer time. The leaves of Adémé are sold in the farms during the summer time. I did not get a chance to go to the farm this year; therefore I had to use the industrial precooked Adémé. To tell the truth, I real don’t mind.

The Adémé is not just the delicious but very rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C , Vitamin E. Furthermore the Adémé contains a high percentage of calcium, which contributes to strong teeth and bones. The Adémé is rich in fiber; therefore regularly intake of the leaves help to control blood pressure, cholesterol build-up, diabetes, and also prevents heart disease.

This Adémé déssi recipe is a West African (Togo, Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast) recipe. The Adémé leaves are cooked in very little water and a generous amount of baking soda. The baking soda help keep the green color of the Adémé leaves and soften the leaves during the cooking process. Before, starting the cooking process, make sure to have all the ingredients ready because cooking the Adémé leaves too long can resolved in a dry, dark green and not slimy soup. Equally important, you should not cover the soup unless you want to cut the sliminess of the soup.

I have a tendency to overload my Adémé dessi with meat, fish and seafood. Some people do not use palm oil, but I cannot do without. In addition to the meat, vegetables like African eggplant and bell pepper can be added.

The Adémé is served with Akoume (like ewokoume. Makoume), Akpan, gari, or Ablo.

600 g of ademé leaves (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon of ginger

2 cloves garlic,

3 cooked crabs,

12 cooked shrimps,

1 smoked mackerel,

1 onion,

20 cl of palm oil

1 cube

Red and green pepper

Salt

Pepper

2 tbsp Potash or sodium bicarbonate

1 fish “lahoin” (dried and fermented fish)

The meat of your choice (seasoned, boiled, and fried)

Sort the leaves by removing the yellow or faded leaves, wash and drain in a colander and chop coarsely.

Put a little water in the bottom of a pot, and add the potash and as soon as the water begins to boil the leaves of ademe.

Add the fish “lahoin” and 1/2 onion

With the help of a spoon, break the leaves of Ademe.

Boil until the sauce is slimy (about 10 minutes).

Add chili, garlic, ginger, crab, shrimp, cube, meat and smoked fish

Add palm oil and salt and cook for another 10 minutes.

Potash or baking soda allows green vegetables to keep their color during cooking and soften

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Dried Okra soup

Dried Okra soup

1kg Fresh okra 

500g fresh goat meat

5 tablespoon red oil (zomi)

2 onion

4 crabs

habanero

3 tablespoon ginger

6 cloves garlic

2 bouillon cube

Salt to taste

1 pinch potash or bicarbonate

 

Scrub okra, rinse with cold water, pat dry with a towel and cut the okra in very thin slices.

Dry until crisp and breakable (about 12-18 hours, depending on dehydrator and okra size).

Crush the okra.

Clean the crab and cook with the palm oil, a third of of the ginger, garlic, onion and cube for 10 mins.

Marinate the goat and boil the meat with third of the ginger, garlic, onion and cube.

In a saucepan, add 3 cups water (or meat bouillon), a pinch of baking soda and add the dry okra. Stir constantly for 3 minutes and add the meat juice.

Simmer 2 min and add the habanero and the third of the ginger, garlic, onion and cube.

Simmer for 5 min.

Then add the palm oil and crab. Simmer for 5 minuted.

*For those without a dehydrator, no need to make the investment just yet. To dry okra in the oven, spread half of the batch of okra at a time in a single layer on a wire rack nestled in a baking sheet. Place in a 150 degree oven and turn okra every 3 hours for 12 hours or until desired crunchiness is achieved.

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Peas with meatballs

Peas with meatballs

Ingredients for the dumplings:

400 g ground beef

4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon persil

1 cube

Pepper

Salt

Ingredients for the sauce:

3 tomatoes puree

250 g of peas

1 onion diced

1 tomato diced

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon of paprika

4 pinch of ginger powder

6 tablespoons olive oil

Pepper

Salt

300 ml of water

Chop the garlic, ginger and persil.

Combine the meat, cube and spices. Mix by kneading the meat for a few moments. Make dumplings the size of a walnut 

Put the olive oil in a casserole on medium heat add the meatball. Remove the meatballs and set aside

Add diced tomatoes, onion and cook for 3 mins. Add purred tomatoes, garlic, paprika, ginger,  Simmer 10 minutes. 

Add the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the peas, salt to taste and cook for 10 minutes. 

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Piri-Piri Sauce

Peri Peri or piri piri

  • 2 bell pepper
  • 6 red birds eye chillis adjust to suite your preferred heat level
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp salt
  1. Lightly char the red bell pepper on an open flame, or under a broiler
  2. Remove the charred skin
  3. Blend red bell peppers, chilli, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and salt. I like my peri peri sauce slightly chunky, but you may blend until its smooth.
  4. Transfer the sauce to a medium saucepan and simmer slowly for 20-30 minutes.
  5. Refrigerate and use when ready

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Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

 

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

  • 25 Okra (a medium size)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • A pinch of baking soda
  • 4 pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 3 to mato
  • The meat of your choice (I used fried chicken and smoked fish together)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 sliced onion
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 2 tablespoon garlic
  • 1 cube
  • 1 Bay leave
  • Salt to taste
  1. Slice the okra and set aside in a bowl
  2. Blend together1/2 sliced onion, 1 tablespoon ginger and 2 tablespoon garlic and set aside
  3. Boil 2+1/2 cups of water and add a pinch of baking soda
  4. Add the sliced okra and 1/2 onion (sliced)
  5. Mix together 1/2 cup stock and 1 cube
  6. Add the pepper, the bell pepper, and the mixture of 1/2 cup stock and 1 cubecook for 3 mins and set aside
  7. In another saucepan, bring the canola oil and the tomato puree to a boil.
  8. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste and the blended spices
  9. Add 1 cube, fried chicken, smoked fish, pinch of baking soda, the remaining onion . Cook for 5 mins
  10. Also add some chicken stock to get the desired consistency
  11. Add the okra, mix well and cook for another 5 mins

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Alloco and Tomato stew

 

Alloco and Tomato stew

For alloco

  • 3 ripe plantains
  • A little salt
  • Oil for frying

For the tomato stew:

  • 3 peppers
  • ½ of an onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon of concentrated tomato
  • 2 to matoes
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ cubic broth (Maggi, optional)
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cup of water
  1. Peel and cut the plantains in cubes.
  2. Then salt the bananas.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the plantain until each side is golden brown.
  4. Remove and place them in a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

The tomato stew:

  1. Heat the oil just a little and add the sliced the onion.
  2. Add the concentrated tomato
  3. Add the tomato puree and garlic
  4. Add the cube, chicken and a pinch of baking soda
  5. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
  6. Now serve your fried bananas with the tomato stew.
  7. Enjoy your meal!

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Yebessessi – Moyo with Sardine

 

Yebessessi – Moyo with Sardine

  • 3 peppers
  • 4 to matoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cube
  • 1 sardine
  • Salt to taste
  1. Crush the pepper, 3 tomatoes and 1/2 onion
  2. Add cube taste and add salt if necessary.
  3. Drain and add the sardine
  4. Cut the 1/2 onion and 1 tomato very finely and add it to the Yebessessi
  5. Serve with Akoume, ably, Akpan or Koliko

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Tomato and onion stew

 

Tomato and onion stew

  • 1 onion
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 4 to matoes
  • 1 salt according to your taste
  • 1 tablespoon cube
  1. Cut the onion in half, mince very finely and set aside in a bowl
  2. Cut the tomatoes in half and slice very thinly
  3. On a medium heat , in a saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion.Cook for 10 mins
  4. Add tomatoes, cube taste and add salt if necessary.

Variations may include finely chopped carrots, peppers and cucumbers slices.

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No egoussi GbomaDéssi

 

Gboma Déssi

  • 2 lb spinach (gboma)
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 onions
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 chicken (boiled and fried (Recipe))
  • 3 to matoes
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 cube
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
  • 5 hot peppers
  • Salt
  1. Bring water to a boil add a pinch of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of salt.
  2. Add the “gboma” and cook for 30 min or until tender.
  3. Drain, let it cool down and squeeze as much as water from the “gboma” as possible. Set aside
  4. In a saucepan in medium heat, add the oil and 1 sliced onion. Cook for 5 mins.
  5. Add the tomato paste, the 3 tomatoes and 1 onion puree. Mix well and add 2 cups of water (or chicken stock).
  6. Add the cube, 3 cloves garlic, ginger
  7. Add the chicken and cook for 12 mins.
  8. Add the hot pepper, drained spinach leaves and salt to taste. Simmer for at least 15-20 minutes.