Ivorian Palm Nut Soup
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Native to various countries on the African continent, palm nut sauce is appreciated for its unique and creamy flavour. This typical sauce is usually served with Foutou or cassava Foufou (fufu). Whether you are looking for a palm nut sauce recipe to accompany fish, chicken or simply white rice, or you just want to know more about this classic Ivorian sauce, this is the recipe for you.
This sauce can be made with beef, lamb, chicken, crabs or smoked fish. Traditionally, palm nut base is made from palm seeds that are cooked in boiling water then crushed in a large mortar with a heavy pestle to extract their juice. In this recipe, however, a shortcut is used where tinned palm soup base (noix de palme) is used instead.
Origins of Palm Nut Sauce
Palm nuts have been used in West Africa since time immemorial. Over time, the palm nut sauce has become a gastronomic pillar in many African countries, especially in Côte d’Ivoire, where it is very popular.
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time 70 minutes/Serves: 4 (+30 minutes marinating)
Ingredients:
1kg chicken (or beef or lamb) cut into large pieces
400g tin of palm juice (noix de palme)
300g shelled crabs or prawns
3 Onions minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tomatoes, diced
Chilli Pepper, minced, to taste
ground Black pepper, to taste
2 Maggi Stock Cubes
Salt, to taste
1 bunch of Kable (turmeric leaves)
1L Water
meat seasoning, to taste
Method:
Cut your meat into bite-sized pieces then place in a bowl, season with black pepper, minced garlic, minced onions and a crumbled bouillon cube. Mix everything well and set aside for at least 30 minutes to marinate.
After this time, place a saucepan over high heat. When hot add a little oil and use to fry the chicken for 2 minutes. At this point add 250ml (1 cup), bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, and the palm nut base then crumble in the stock cubes. Bring to a simmer, stir to combine then add 1l water and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
Stir in the crabs or prawns then season to taste with salt and minced chilli powder.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. During this time, the sauce should thicken and the red (palm) oil should separate and appear on the surface. This is the sign that your seed sauce is ready for serving.
Serve the final dish with foutou, white rice or even attiéké.
