AI-generated image
Miyan kuka (baobab leaf soup)
Miyan kuka: the dark, slippery Hausa soup of powdered baobab leaves and dawadawa
Dried baobab leaves, pounded to a fine green-grey powder, give miyan kuka its earthy, faintly tea-like taste and its slippery body, a little like okra. Northern households from Kano to Sokoto cook it as everyday food and pair it almost always with tuwon shinkafa or tuwon masara. Dried fish or a handful of meat often goes into the pot; this meat-free version, as many homes cook it when the budget is tight, gets its depth from dawadawa, onion and a peppery tomato base instead. A common mistake is tipping the kuka in all at once, which leaves stubborn green lumps; sift it in slowly while whisking. Chef's tip: once the kuka is in, simmer only 2–3 minutes, because long boiling dulls its colour and its fresh, grassy edge.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 onionroughly chopped
- 2 tomatoesroughly chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet chilliuse half for a milder soup
- 4 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 ½ tbsp dawadawa (fermented locust beans)sub: 1 tsp white miso or fermented black beans, mashed
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp saltto taste
For the soup
- 1 ⅜ oz baobab leaf powder (kuka)from African grocers; sift if lumpy
- ½ tsp yaji or cayenne pepper (optional)to serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Blend 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 1 scotch bonnet chilli with 100 ml water until smooth.
2 minStep 2: Heat 4 tbsp groundnut oil in a pot over a medium heat. Add the blended base and fry, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until it darkens slightly and the oil starts to shine on the surface.
10 minStep 3: Pour in 5 cups vegetable stock, add 1 ½ tbsp dawadawa (fermented locust beans), ½ tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp salt, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 8 minutes so the dawadawa softens and flavours the broth.
8 minStep 4: Lower the heat. Hold a fine sieve over the pot and tap 1 ⅜ oz baobab leaf powder (kuka) into it a spoonful at a time while whisking hard with your other hand, until all the powder is in and the soup turns dark green, smooth and slightly stretchy.
2 minStep 5: Simmer for 2–3 minutes only, stirring, then taste for salt. Serve hot with tuwo and a sprinkle of ½ tsp yaji or cayenne pepper.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does miyan kuka (baobab leaf soup) take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.
Japanese