This recipe is going to teach you how to make light soup the Ghanaian way. Light soup is very easy to cook and it nicely pairs with fufu. Just as pepper soup in many West African cultures is thought of as a cure-all for colds and flu this is the equivalent in Ghana. There are many light soups made in Ghana and they can be quite different in nature. Their main common feature is that they include prekese as a flavouring ingredient
Prep Time: 20 minutes/Cook Time: 30 minutes/Serves: 4 (+30 minutes marinating)
Ingredients
4 ripe tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato purée
1 onion, chopped
1 whole habanero chilli
1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
1 medium prekese, washed
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
12 okra
6 garden eggs
100g (3 1/2 oz) dry fish, washed and broken into pieces
1 whole fish, cleaned, scaled and cut into steaks
300g (2/3 lb) beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 chicken portions (thighs, drumsticks, wings)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
water
oil for deep frying
Method:
Remove all the bones you can from the dried fish pieces then set aside.
Combine the whole chilli, garlic, ginger and onion in a blender and render to a purée. Combine the fish steaks and the puree in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, cover and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Transfer the fish mixture to a pan,, cover and steam over medium heat for 8 minutes. Remove the fish and set aside. Now add the dried fish, meat and chicken to the pot. Add 120ml, 1/2 cup water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the meat and chicken and set aside. Add the whole tomatoes, okra and garden eggs to the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
Heat oil for deep frying, add the chicken pieces and fry for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
Once the tomatoes, okra and garden eggs are soft remove from the pot. Transfer the tomatoes and okra to a blender, with 125ml (1/2 cup) allow the garden eggs to cool then peel and add to the blender along with the tomato puree and all-purpose seasoning. Blend to a slurry and add to your pot along with 125ml (1/2 cup) water.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down. Return the fish, meat and chicken to the pan then nestle in the prekese. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes then remove and discard the prekese. Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve your light soup.
