Ingredients for Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)
This recipe is for 10 servings
– 1 small sized ripe Pumpkin(about 250 grams)
– 1 kilo Meat of Choice(beef, cowfeet, goat meat, soft cow bones, chicken, tripe(shaki), oxtail)
– 1 medium Dried or Smoked Fish
– 1 small bunch Yakwa(yakuwa)(sorrel leaves)(use spinach or ugwu as a substitute)
– 1 medium Tomatoes
– 1 or 2 Fresh Pepper
– 1 Tatashe (red bell pepper)
– 1 Onion bulb
– 150gram(1 cup) Groundnut (either roasted or raw)
– Half cup Crayfish
– 2 tablespoon ground Locust Beans OR about 100g fresh Locust beans(ogiri, iru or dawadawa)
– 1 to 2 Cooking spoon Palm Oil or Vegetable oil
– 1 to 2 seasoning cubes/Stock cubes (to taste)
– Salt to tasteYakwa(yakuwa/sorrel leaf) is the main leaf used for this recipe because it’s tangy taste contrast well with the sweet taste of the soup.
Preparation
First prepare all the ingredients for the soup:
– Wash and cut the pumpkin, peel of the outer skin, scrape out the hairy pulp and the seeds. Then cut the pumpkin meat into small chunks
(don’t throw away the seeds, it can be toasted and eating as a snack).
– Clean the dried fish with hot water, remove the bones and set aside
– Wash and chop the vegetables and set aside
– If you bought fresh groundnuts and would love to roast it, place in a dry pan and stir gently with a wooden spoon , on low heat, until you can smell the aroma of roasted groundnut.
-Blend the groundnut and crayfish together to get a smooth thick paste .Dissolve with a little water or meat stock and set aside.
Now to cook the Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)
1. Place the meat into a pot along with the pumpkin chunks, season with onions, 1 stock cube and a little salt. Leave to boil in it’s own juice for 5 minutes, then add a little water and cook until the meat is tender.
Mash the softened pumpkin coarsely in the meat pot.
2. Then add the dissolved groundnut paste into the meat pot; add the tomato-pepper paste, the cleaned dried fish, and the palm oil and mix thoroughly.
3. Also, add the locust beans(dawadawa, ogiri or iru), taste for salt and seasoning and add if necessary.
Mix thoroughly and leave to boil for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning at the bottom.
Note: If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water to lighten the soup, but it shouldn’t be watery.
Great… Now On to our Tuwo Shinkafa!
Tuwo shinkafa is usually prepared from scratch with short grain rice (local rice), but it can also be prepared with rice flour (which is the easiest&fastest method).
It is also a good substitute for Eba and Fufu, if you’re watching your cholesterol or gluten intake.
To prepare Tuwo shinkafa from Scratch (using raw rice) you’ll need:
– 500 grams Short grain rice or local rice (paella rice can be used as a substitute)
– 1000ml(1L) water (more or less)
Preparation:
1. Wash the rice thoroughly and place in the pot.
2. Add the water and set to boil.
3. Boil the rice until it becomes very soft and sticky and the water is dried up.
(if the rice isn’t done before the water dries up, you can add a little more water to the rice).
4. Now using a wooding spoon or a potato masher, mash the soft rice thoroughly to form a soft dough.
Wet your hands and mold into balls.
Serve hot and enjoy.
To prepare Tuwo shinkafa with Rice Flour, you’ll need :
– 500 gram Rice Flour
– 700ml water
Preparation:
1. Place the water in a pot and set to boil. Then scoop out a little water and set aside.
2. Gradually pour in the rice flour into the pot and stir continuously to prevent lump formation.
3. If the mixture is still watery, you can add more rice flour and continue stirring until smooth and firm (or as you want the consistency to be)
4. After about 1 minute, gradually add a little of the hot water you had earlier set aside, then cover the pot and leave to boil on low heat for 30 seconds.
Finally mix thoroughly and your Tuwo shinkafa is ready.
Wet your hands, mold into balls and enjoy with Miyan Taushe…x