Description
Abenkwan is made from the cream of palm fruit simmered with tomato, onion and pepper. A good palm soup base saves hours of pounding.
1 hr · Serves 4–6 · Medium
What’s in the kit
The Family size has twice as much of everything, so it feeds twice as many.
You’ll also need
- 750 g goat meat or chicken, in pieces
- 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 2 scotch bonnets
- 1 thumb ginger and 2 cloves garlic
- 1 smoked fish or a handful of mushrooms (optional)
- Salt to taste
Method
- Season the meat with the stock cube, ginger, garlic, half the onion and salt. Steam it in its own juices for 10 minutes, then add 2 cups of water and simmer 20 minutes.
- Boil the tomatoes, peppers and remaining onion whole in the pot for 10 minutes, then lift out, blend smooth and return to the pot.
- Stir in the palm soup base with 3–4 cups of water and bring to the boil.
- Simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the oil rises and the soup thickens slightly. Add the smoked fish for the last 10 minutes.
- Season to taste and serve with fufu, rice balls (omo tuo) or boiled yam.
Cook’s tip: The soup is ready when a layer of red oil sits on top. Skim a little off if you like it lighter.
Photo: Bagaball, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.