Serves: 4
This is a fairly hearty variation on the lighter, more traditional chicken or fish pepper soups. Either serve on its own as a starter, or add some boiled yam (as here) and/or plantain for a delicious main course. Perfect for cold, rainy days. Here I use a combination of commercially available peppersoup mix with some freshly ground spices and fresh herbs for additional fragrance and flavour.
Ingredients
- 1kg oxtail (trimmed of excess fat and cut into spoon-sized pieces)
- 3 onions, about 450g (peeled and quartered)
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, about 8g
- ½ teaspoon Cameroon pepper (optional)
- 2L water
- 150g tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- 2 spring onions (finely sliced on the diagonal)
- 2 red bell peppers, about 320g (seeded and quartered)
- 2 tablespoons peppersoup mix
- 1 fresh bay leaf (substitute with 2 dried leaves)
- 50g crayfish (finely ground)
- *2 teaspoons fresh scent leaf (finely chopped)
- *1 teaspoon fresh utazi (finely chopped)
- 3 ehuru seeds (toasted, shelled and finely ground)
- 1 small piece uyayak
- 1 gbafilo seed (shelled and finely ground)
- 2-3 uda pods (toasted, seeded and lightly crushed – these may be removed before serving)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons good quality palm oil (optional but it adds additional flavour)
Instructions
- Place the oxtail and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- In the meantime, liquidise the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and Scotch Bonnet chillies, adding enough water to produce a smooth thin mixture. Add this to the saucepan and season with salt. Reduce the heat to a fast simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, adding more water as required, until the meat is tender.
- Add the peppersoup mix, crayfish, half of the ehuru and all of the uyayak, gbalifo and uda. If using dried utazi and efirin, add them at this stage. Simmer for a further 20 minutes.
- Just before serving, add the palm oil, spring onion and fresh utazi and/or efirin (if using).
Notes
*Dried leaves may be used but they will need a longer cooking time to allow them to reconstitute. Besides, fresh leaves add a lovely contrast to the redness of the soup.
Will serve 4 as a light meal or 6 as a starter
Variations
- Substitute the oxtail with goat meat
- Add 3-4 chunks of peeled yam and/or plantain per person when the meat is almost tender
Will serve 4 as a light meal or 6 as a starter
Variations
- Substitute the oxtail with goat meat
- Add 3-4 chunks of peeled yam and/or plantain per person when the meat is almost tender