Pepper soup is one of the most delicious Nigerian foods. It is a delicious, highly nutritious one-pot dish that can be taken in any kind of weather, all year round. It is a fusion of toasted homemade spices, herbs, peppers, deeply flavored broth and some very good skin-on, bone-in meat or fish. Nigerian pepper soup has a mix of nutty, warmth, bitter, woodsy and flavorful tastes.
Pepper soup is very healthy and highly nutritious. It contains capsaicin that helps to reduce fever and cure cold. The meat in the soup is a good source of protein. Spicy foods are excellent for easing nasal congestion.
The success of the broth is a main determinant of the success of the whole dish. To achieve a delicious broth, the stock is usually seasoned with a blend of two or more finely ground indigenous spices. I will love to briefly introduce the spices to you before I go on:
NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS SPICES USED FOR MAKING PEPPER SOUP MIX/BLEND
This is also known as Calabash nutmeg. The local names for it in Nigeria are:
The - Urhobo;
Iwo - Itsekiri;
Uhuru - Igbo;
Ariwo - Yoruba;
Gujiya dan Miya - Hausa;
Ukposa - Bini.
GBAFILO: (Nigerian) also known as rough-skinned plum,grey plum, and Guinea plum.
GRAINS OF SELIM: is another indigenous spice and it is known in Nigeria as various names:
Uteri - Urhobo;
Union - Bini;
Atta - Ibibio/Efik;
Uda - Igbo;
Peru – Yoruba.
TETRAPLEURA TETRAPTERA: in Nigerian languages is called:
Aldan (Yoruba);
Edem lnang (Efik);
lghimiakhie (Bini);
Ushio (Igbo).
UMILO/OMILO: Other names for this plant include bush pepper, Guinea cubebs, and West African black peppers. In Nigerian local languages, it is called:
Educa - Ibibio;
Eti-Ankeny - Efik;
Uziza – Igbo.
ALLIGATOR PEPPER : Nigerian local names include
Ehie ado (Bini);
Ntuen (Efik);
Ose Oji/Akwa agbo); and
Oboro (Yoruba).
PS: Although homemade spices are the best for the real, deeply rooted flavors, you don’t actually have to go through the stress of sourcing for and making them by yourself. Nowadays, we have different types of store-bought pepper soup spices that would still do the trick. Check here for THE MY SASUN PEPPER SOUP MIX to give yourself an unforgettable treat. The good thing about buying ready-made blend is that you can have your soup ready in a little more or less than 30 minutes! That’s amazing!
VARIETIES OF ADDITIONAL HERBS FOR NIGERIAN PEPPER SOUPS:
Your pepper soup is never complete without herbs and there are a few varieties that can pair well. Chief amongst them is the lemongrass leaves, Though not common, some add some lime leaves into theirs. Others like to add some heft to their broth by incorporating tomatoes, onions, and fresh chiles. To complete your dish preparation however, it’s common to add some shredded scent leaf, a herb that's related to mint and basil.
READ ALSO: BENEFITS OF EATING OFFALS AND THREE RECIPES YOU CAN TRY
HOW IS PEPPER SOUP MADE?
Pepper soup is made by mixing, toasting, and grinding some of the spices mentioned above-the nutty erhe, smoky and musky urheri, aromatic and spicy alligator pepper with ginger, pepper and nutty-tasting umilo and gbafilo―to yield a deeply flavored blend.
The blend above, with the selected protein, meat or fish bones, ground crayfish, lemongrass leaves or stalks, water, lime leaves and cayenne dry pepper, salt and a stock cube are then dumped into a pot to cook low and slow.
After a few minutes, the pepper soup is ready and can be paired with boiled yam, boiled plantains, white rice or eko riro.
FIVE TYPES OF PEPPER SOUPS YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME
- CHICKEN PEPPER SOUP
- EGUSI PEPPER SOUP
- GOAT MEAT PEPPER SOUP
- OFFALS PEPPER SOUP
- CAT FISH PEPPER SOUP
HOW TO MAKE NIGERIAN CHICKEN PEPPER SOUP
First, get your ingredients set. We will need the following:
- Chicken cuts of your desire
- Onions
- Stock cubes
- Salt
- Cameroon pepper
- Ground Crayfish
- Palm oil (optional)
- Pepper soup spice blend
- Scent leaves ( substitute with parsley or basil)
DIRECTION
Arrange the washed chicken cuts in a pot.
Add about 5 cups of water, the chopped onions, salt and 2 seasoning cubes and bring to a boil.
When the contents in the pot begins to boil, add the pepper soup spice, Cameroon pepper and crayfish.
Cook until chicken meat is tender.
Add the chopped scent leaves and palm oil. Allow to simmer for about a minute, then turn off the heat
Your Chicken Pepper Soup is ready.
HOW TO MAKE EGUSI PEPPER SOUP
First, get your ingredients set. We will need the following:
- Goat meat cuts
- Shaki and Ponmo
- Ground crayfish
- Salt
- 2tbsp pepper soup spice
- Seasoning cubes
- Cayenne pepper
- Stockfish
- Scent leaves or basil
- 1 cup of egusi
READ HOMEMADE SUYA AND SUYA SPICE
DIRECTIONS:
Blend the egusi with water and set aside
Wash and rinse the goat meat, ponmo, and saki well. Place in a pan and place on medium heat.
Add some cayenne pepper, salt and seasoning to the washed meat and bring to boil for about 10 minutes.
Open the pot and give it a good stir, at this point, add 1 and a half tablespoon of the pepper soup spice to the boiling meat.
Add your cooked, softened stockfish to the meat and continue to boil till tender.
Watch against too much water in your pot because you aretrying to achieve a soup with the consistency that isn’t too light and too thick.
Once everthing is cooked, add the blended egusi and a little palm oil and stir it to avoid getting lumps. Cook for another 5-8 minutes (stir at intervals and add water if it is getting thick)
Add salt, seasoning, crayfish and the remaining pepper soup spice and stir to combine
5 minutes before you take the soup off the heat, add chopped scent leaves to the soup
Take it off the heat and serve with plantain, yam, rice, swallow or you can just eat as it is with a bottle of malt.
HOW TO MAKE THE NIGERIAN GOAT MEAT PEPPER SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
- 700g Goat Meat (with skin)
- 2 Tablespoons of pepper soup spice
- Habanero Pepper (to taste)
- A few scent leaves
- 2 medium onions
- Salt (to taste)
- 2 big stock cubes
DIRECTION:
Arrange the washed meat in the pot and cover with four to five cups of water.
Add the stock cubes, pepper soup spice, chopped onions and start cooking.
Add pepper and scent leaves
Cover the pot and leave to simmer for 5 minutes and the pepper soup is ready.
Serve piping hot with the eko/agidi, boiled rice, plantain or any meal of your choice.
HOW TO MAKE OFFALS PEPPER SOUP
Some examples of offal meat are intestine, tripe (Shaki), kidney, liver, heart, brain, sweetbreads, tongue, and chicken gizzard, chicken hearts, among others. (You can mix and match according to your preference)
INGREDIENTS:
- Offals
- Chopped onions
- Stock cubes,
- Black peppers
- Salt
- Pepper Soup spice
- Lemon grass/scent leave
- Chopped Habenaro peppers
DIRECTION:
Thoroughly clean and chop your offals. Add into a large pot and add enough water to cover it, and then a little more.
Add the chopped onions, stock cubes, black pepper, and salt. Boil for about 40 minutes or until the meat is tender. You don't want it to be too soft yet because you are not done cooking it.
Add the pepper soup spice one tablespoon at a time. You might be okay with just one, but I like to add two tablespoons.
Then, add the chopped habanero pepper.
Add lemon grass and or scent leaves
Bring to a boil for about 10-15 minutes to give the spices time to really penetrate into the meat.
Enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE CATFISH PEPPER SOUP
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons of Peppersoup spice
- Lemon grass/scent leave
- 1 tbsp. ground crayfish
- 5 limes
- 2 seasoning cubes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground pepper
- Catfish
DIRECTION:
Wash your catfish with lime, lemon, salt or hot water.
Once the slime has been removed, place it in a pot.
Add pepper soup spice.
Add some chopped fresh pepper.
Add seasoning cubes and salt to taste.
Add lemon grass and or scent leaves
Cover the pot and allow to cook-the pepper soup should be ready in 35-50 minutes.
ROUNDING OFF....
Nigerian Pepper soup is delicious, healthy, helps with weight loss, good for post-partum recovery, primarily liquid and best served hot. The beautiful thing about this meal is that it allows for versatility. So, there are no limitations in the type of meat to use. Some even boil small cuts of yam or plantain or even agidi in theirs. Some add noodles in theirs to give an Asian feel, kinda. Haha. You just feel free to try yours with different types of meat and enjoy. What is your best type of Nigerian pepper soup? Kindly leave your thoughts below. See you next time!
