Kuka Soup - Nigeria

Nigeria

Seeing how a majority of the African girls registered on our fledgling online dating network are from Nigeria, we figured a bit of home cooking might freshen your palette a bit. Break out the ladle because we are going to whip up a batch of kuka soup. For this particular recipe, there are a few tools you will need to get the job done. Make sure you have:

• A pestle and mortar to grind ingredients into a fine paste. Although not nearly as authentic, a food processor will do as well.
• A large pot for boiling, of course.
• Kitchen knives capable of cutting through flesh.

Kuka soup is a traditional Nigerian dish so the ingredients, not so surprisingly, are mostly indigenous to the West African region, particularly the baobab leaf. The baobab leaf is a staple of the Savanna lands below the Sahara. It is sometimes steamed and eaten like spinach, but more oft than not, the baobab leaf is used in soups, sauces, stews and the like. 

For this particular recipe, we are going to use the baobab leaf to make enough soup for four. If you can't get your hands on the beloved baobab leaf (450 grams worth), you can always substitute it with file powder (8 tablespoons worth), which is ground up sassafra leaves. At any rate, these are the other ingredients you will need and should be able to procure without too much hassle:

• ground up okra (450g)
• 6-8 fresh tomatoes
• 2 small onions
• a slab of fresh fish of your choice
• 2 fresh chili peppers
• 12 tbsp of palm oil
• 2L of fresh water
• table salt

Now that you have your ingredients at the ready, let's get to cooking, shall we.
DIRECTION

1. For starters, you will want to give that fish of yours a thorough rinsing just for sanitary reasons. One can never be too safe. Once you are done washing the fish, go ahead and add whatever seasonings you would normally when preparing fish. Salt and pepper is a safe bet. Once you have finished seasoning, cleave the fish into relatively thin sliced filets and set them aside on a cutting board or baking sheet.
2. Next up, you are going to mash those small onions, fresh chili peppers and juicy tomatoes into a fine paste. That's where your trusty pestle and mortar come in handy. Again, a food processor works just as well if not better.
3. Take that large pot and lace it up with the 12 tablespoons of palm oil and the 2 liters of fresh water. Time to fire up that stove and bring the pot of water and oil to a boil. Once you hear the water percolating, reduce to a simmer.
4. Hope you are ready because there's no turning back now. Toss in the fish filets as well as the pureed veggies and allow it to cook for a good 20-25 minutes.
5. Remember the baobab leaf and the ground up okra? Now's the time to introduce the real flavor of kuka soup. Stir it in and continue to do so for the next ten minutes.
6. Using your best judgement, shut off the stove when you think the soup has reached a nigh-feverish pitch. Take that trusty spoon of yours and have a licks. Season to taste and voila, kuka soup is served.

Kuka soup can be served with rice or even tofu if you prefer. West Africans would typically add a side of cassava greens and spinach, but feel free to apply this dish however you see fit. Cooking is a gift meant to be shared. Let us know how this recipe worked out for you. Until next time, my friends.