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Ghanaian light soup with goat
Light soup: Ghana's thin, peppery tomato broth with goat meat
Light soup is the everyday soup of southern Ghana, cooked in Accra and Kumasi homes several times a week and served alongside fufu, omo tuo (rice balls) or banku, with each bite dipped in the hot broth. Goat meat is the favourite, though chicken light soup is just as common: use 1.2 kg of bone-in chicken pieces and cut the simmering time to 35 minutes. Tomatoes, onion, ginger and pepper are boiled whole with the meat, then blended and strained back in, so the soup is clear, bright orange and very peppery but never heavy. The usual mistake is skipping the straining step, which leaves the soup gritty with seeds and skins. Chef's tip: steam the goat in its seasoning with no water for the first 15 minutes; the meat flavours the whole soup from the inside.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb goat meat on the bonein 4 cm pieces
- 2 onions1 chopped, 1 halved
- 1 oz fresh gingerpeeled
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 chicken or beef stock cubecrumbled
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 2 garden eggs or small aubergine (optional)halved
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Blend the chopped 2 onions with 1 oz fresh ginger and 4 cloves garlic to a paste. Rub it over 2 ¼ lb goat meat on the bone in a large pot with 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 chicken or beef stock cube.
5 minStep 2: Cover and steam over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the meat releases its juices.
15 minStep 3: Add the halved onion, whole 5 ripe tomatoes, 2 scotch bonnet chillies, 2 garden eggs or small aubergine and 500 ml of the 6 ¼ cups water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes split and soften.
15 minStep 4: Lift out the tomatoes, onion, chillies and aubergine. Blend them smooth with 1 tbsp tomato paste and a ladle of the broth.
3 minStep 5: Push the blend through a sieve back into the pot, pressing hard, and throw away the seeds and skins. Add the rest of the water.
5 minStep 6: Simmer uncovered for 45–50 minutes, skimming off foam and oil now and then, until the goat is tender and pulls off the bone and the soup has a light, clear body.
48 minStep 7: Taste and adjust the salt and heat. Serve piping hot with fufu, rice balls or banku. Cool leftovers within 2 hours and reheat until boiling.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ghanaian light soup with goat take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 95 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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