Joy Onuorah
Groundnut soup (also called peanut stew) is a common but delicious Nigerian delicacy which is commonly eaten with rice, a starch like eba or pounded yam.
Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients
Braised Meat
2.5 lbs stewing goat meat
1 red onion sliced
2 tsp Bouillon
1 tsp salt
Groundnut Soup/Peanut Stew
2 cups raw skinned peanuts
3 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers roughly chopped useless if you do not like spicy food
0.5 lbs chopped spinach about 5 cups chopped, about 2 cups frozen
2 tbsp West African dried shrimp powder aka crayfish
3 tbsp palm oil
Salt to taste
Steps
In a stew pot, braise the goat meat over low- medium heat with the onions, bullion and salt for 30-35 minutes. If you are cooking goat meat from an older or male goat, you may need to cook the meat for longer for it to be tender.
Next, toast the peanuts in a pan, stirring continuously over low heat, till the nuts turn toasty in colour. It should take about 15- 25 minutes depending on how hot the pan is.
Allow the nuts to cool completely before grinding.
In a blender, food processor, mortar and pestle, grind the peanuts into a rough powder. Be mindful not to blend into butter (it doesn’t hurt if blended to butter, this is just how I learned to do it).
Mix the braising the liquid from braising the goat meat and water (should make up about 3 cups of liquid) with the ground peanuts and scotch bonnet peppers in a pot making sure there are no peanut lumps. Bring this mixture to a gentle boil over low- medium heat for about 10 minutes, mixing continuously to prevent burning.
At this stage, you may add more or less water depending on the consistency you prepare. If you prefer a lighter soup, add more water. If you prefer a thicker soup add no more water. Note that as the stew continues to cook, it usually thickens up. It also thickens a little more once it cools down.
After 10 minutes, add in the palm oil, braised meat, crayfish, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add in the chopped spinach and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Take the stew off the heat and serve.