Have you ever tried Banga soup? If you have not then you are missing. This soup is a mix of flavors, meat, fish, and an essence that speaks of the depth of African culture. The best part is that it is easy to prepare. Take a look.
Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Total Time: 45 mins.
Servings: 8 individuals
Ingredients
• Beef (any meat of your choice), one and a half pounds
• Onion, one large (half finely chopped, half blended with the peppers)
• Cameroon Pepper (or cayenne pepper as a substitute), one teaspoon
• Seasoning powder or Bouillon cubes, two teaspoons (divided)
• Stockfish (Medium-sized, Panla, Okporoko), three pieces (pre-soaked in hot water)
• Palm-nut Extract, one can
• Scotch bonnets, two
• Banga Spice
• Obeletientien leaves (crushed) or dried bitter leaves, one to two tablespoons
• Oburunbebe stick, one
• Dried Fish (Medium-sized), two pieces (pre-soaked in hot water and deboned)
• Water or stock, four to six cups
• Ground crayfish, one tablespoon
• Salt, to taste
Method
- Begin by thoroughly washing the meat. Season it with chopped onions, Cameroon pepper, half of the seasoning powder, and salt. Mix well and cook until the meat softens.
- Add the pre-soaked stockfish to the meat. Let it cook together for an additional ten minutes.
- Once cooked, take the meat and stockfish out of the pot and keep them aside.
- In the same pot, combine the palm nut concentrate with a blend of water and the remaining meat stock. Cover the pot and let it simmer until you see the oil surfacing.
- In the meantime, blend the scotch bonnet peppers with the other half of the onion and stir this into the simmering palm nut mixture.
- Now, add the smoked fish, previously cooked meat, the rest of the seasoning powder, crayfish, and the Oburunbebe stick into the pot. Season with salt. Cover the pot again and cook everything for ten more minutes.
- Towards the end, add the bitter leaves. Continue to simmer the mixture until it reaches
- Towards the end, add the bitter leaves. Continue to simmer the mixture until it thickens to your desired consistency. This process should not take too long.
Your dish is now ready to be served. It pairs wonderfully with traditional staples such as starch, pounded yam, semolina, garri, or fufu, making for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Plantain moinmoin
We love plantain but sometimes when they get excessively ripe, we throw them away. Don’t do that anymore. Try this tasty plantain moi moi recipe and you will see what you have been missing.
Prep Time: 30 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
• Two large plantains (one should be very ripe, the other unripe)
• One Mackerel fish (Titus variety)
• A large onion
• Two medium-sized fresh peppers
• A quarter cup of crayfish
• Two cubes of seasoning
• Salt, as per your taste preference
Additional items:
• Baking or steaming cups
• Baking dish
Instructions
- Start by peeling the plantains. Blend them until smooth, adding a minimal amount of water to facilitate the blending process.
- Cook the mackerel fish in a pot with enough water, some salt, and chopped onions. Let it simmer for about five minutes with the pot covered.
- Once the fish is cooked, take it out, remove the bones, and shred it.
- In a bowl, combine the smooth plantain blend with the shredded fish, chopped fresh peppers, crayfish, the stock from the fish, and seasoning. Stir the mixture well.
- Prepare your baking cups by lining them with leaves. Then, carefully pour the plantain and fish mixture into these cups. Cover the top with more leaves. Place these cups in a baking dish and add water around them. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The dish is ready when a toothpick inserted into the mix comes out clean.
Enjoy your meal!
