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| Funke Koleosho's King Prawns Groundnut Soup with Steamed Rice |
It has been raining for some days now in London and I am craving something comforting....spicy enough to heat me up from within, on these somewhat chilly nights....
A quick rummage through my larder, and I came up with a variation of the popular West African soup; Groundnut soup. To make it different from the norm, I added king prawns, used peanut butter and served with steamed rice.
This is one of my quick recipes for those days when you are too tired to be bothered. A little bit or pre-preparation and some off-the-shelf ingredients do a wonderful trick.
Traditionally, peanut/groundnut soup is made with puréed tomatoes, red peppers and onions, beef or chicken and blended/milled roasted groundnuts with no added salt or sugar, which provides a more authentic taste. Mainly served with plain rice, also excellent with tuwo shinkafa or pounded yam especially when cooked with added leafy vegetables like spinach.
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| King Prawns Groundnut Soup with Steamed Rice |
Back to my rainy day blues, comfort dish.....I think it is the richness and creaminess that the groundnuts add to this dish, is what really "hits my spot".,,,... Its delicious, moorish and comforting.
When you get the chilly night, rainy day, dull day blues, kind of feeling, try this recipe, take a short-cut to Groundnut soup heaven....
What you need
- Good quality peanut butter or groundnut paste. Go for one with no or reduced added sugar or salt. You should get this in African food markets
- Some pre-made red pepper sauce. (Check out one of my previous posts on how to make this. Using this pre-made sauce cuts the effort, time and hassle)
- Some chunky raw freshwater king prawns
- Chilli powder (optional, especially if the red pepper sauce already contains some chilli)
- Salt to taste
- Coconut oil
- Long grain rice (You may use easy cook rice if you prefer)
What to do
- Clean the prawns by removing the shell and de-veining. Set aside.
- In a sauce pan, heat some coconut oil and add a couple serving spoons of pre-made red pepper sauce, depending on how many you are cooking for. Allow that to heat up and sizzle for a short while. Add some hot water to adjust consistency if needed. Also shake some chilli powder into the sizzling sauce to give it a little spicy kick, according to your preference of course!
- Then add some peanut butter/groundnut paste, a little at a time, and stir in. The peanut butter/groundnut paste thickens the soup so the more you add the thicker the soup. Add according to your preference.
- Allow this to heat through for another 3-4 minutes under moderate heat.
- Finally add the prawns, cover the pan and simmer until prawns cook. Not more than 3 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust as required.
- Simultaneously, steam some rice with added finely chopped ginger.
- Serve hot. Hmmmmm yum.
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| King Prawns Groundnut Soup with Steamed Rice |