Ghanaian Nkatenkwan
This Ghanaian dish, called Nkatenkwan or groundnut soup, is popular throughout West Africa. It is typically a creamy chicken-peanut-soup. With our variations, the soup can be modified to your taste. Add a finish of grains of paradise (included). They are native to West Africa, mainly from Ghana, and a mild but pungent alternative to black pepper.
Ingredients
Protein
- 2 lbs chicken drumsticks
Fresh Produce
- 2 cups okra
- 2 medium tomato/es quartered
- 1 large onion quartered
- 1 inch ginger chopped
Packaged Goods/Staples
- 5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- salt & pepper
Suggested Sides
- fresh bread
- rice
- sweet potatoes
- yam
Culinary Spice Kit
- [1] Rosemary, bay leaves
- [2] Grains of paradise whole
Instructions
- In a large POT, add 3 cups of broth, onion, ginger, tomatoes, okra, drumsticks, salt & pepper to taste, and Nkatenkwan [1] spices.
- Bring to boil. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Turn heat off. Take drumsticks out and set aside.
- Transfer soup to a FOOD PROCESSOR and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In the same POT, heat 2 cups of broth. Add peanut butter and dissolve in the broth over low heat, stirring constantly.
- Add blended soup and drumsticks. Mix well.
- Optionally, add more broth for a thinner soup.
- Cook soup over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- On the plated soup, sprinkle Nkatenkwan [2] spices to taste from a grinder or whole.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Substitute drumsticks with 1 lb chicken breast or thighs, cut into pieces, or beef stew. Adjust cooking time and add more broth if necessary.
- Substitute okra with green beans, kale, or cabbage.
- Substitute peanut butter with other nut butter.
- For a clear soup, skip the peanut butter and step 4.
- Without food processor: chop onion and grate ginger. In step 3, transfer everything to a BOWL. Skip step 4. In step 6, return everything to the POT.
