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Basic Stocks and Soups

Most soups in Ghana start with a basic stock. There are three main foundations for Ghanaian soups and some stews. The cornerstone of them all is a simple broth or stock that is the basis of what are called “light soups.” It contains no added fats, and is a broth made from poultry, meat and/or fish, onion, tomato, chili pepper, salt, probably garlic and ginger, and sometimes other seasonings. (Timesaver hint: In most cases, a commercially produced meat, poultry, fish, or vegetable stock can be substituted.)

The second stock is for “groundnut soups,” or what might be better called “peanut soups” in the U.S. (Peanuts, legumes that grow in the ground, are called “groundnuts” in England and Ghana was once a British colony.) In Ghana, where fresh milk and cream are not readily available, the basic soup stock is often thickened with creamy roasted and pounded peanuts.

The third basic soup category is those with a palm butter base, made from the pulp of the red palm fruit, known as “palmnut soups.”

After mastering a basic “light soup,” one can confidently proceed to make any of the soups in this book. Lovely Light Soup with Goat is the first soup I learned to make in Ghana, when I was in my early 20s, so I have presented it here for you to try. It is still hard to beat. It is a basic stock made from vegetables and goat meat. Other broths may be made substituting poultry, beef, or fish, including bones, singly or in combination, and the seasonings may vary depending on personal preference.

Lovely Light Soup with Goat

Apɔnkye Nkrakra

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This recipe is adapted from a version served at Flair. This simple version is hard to beat. No added fats, either, it is the original “lite” soup. I enjoy it best with some Fufu (Ghana-Style Dumplings, page 190). Ahhhhhh! It should be called “Goat Light Soup for the Soul.”

Ingredients

1 pound goat meat with bones, cut into chunks

1 large or 2 or 3 medium whole tomatoes

1 onion, peeled and quartered

Fresh whole red chili pepper to taste (your choice, see chart page 37; try using just a slice of a Scotch bonnet or 1 whole jalapeno if not used to cooking with chili peppers), trimmed and seeds removed if desired; or ⅛ teaspoon or more dried ground red pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Meat Seasoning

1 heaping teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

½ teaspoon ground aniseed (sekoni) or other seasoning of your choice

1 to 2 teaspoons salt or seasoning of your choice (many Ghanaians would likely use Adobo or other seasoned salt and Maggi or Royco seasoning cubes)

½ to 1 teaspoon dried ground red pepper (or to taste)

2 small bay leaves, left whole

½ cup chopped onion

1 small jalapeno pepper (mild); or 1 small cayenne pepper (medium); or 1 habanero (hot); or 3 kpakpo shito peppers (hot); or ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried red pepper to begin (or to taste), optional

Directions

1. Put the goat meat in a large soup pot and add all of the meat seasoning ingredients and ½ cup water. Stir well. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat and let the meat simmer while preparing the broth.

2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in another large pot. Slice the top off the chili pepper. Add the whole tomatoes, quartered onion, and chili pepper, and simmer 10 minutes or just until the vegetables are soft. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and grind in a blender or asanka. If desired, discard the chili pepper or deseed it and slice and grind with the other vegetables, gradually adding the slices little by little till you have the desired heat. Return the ground vegetables to the water in the pot and add 4 more cups of water. Stir in the tomato paste. Pour the broth mixture into the pot with the seasoned meat.

3. Let the soup simmer until the goat meat is tender (this may take several hours as goat meat tends to be tougher than beef).

4. Optional Step: To make a clearer soup, once the goat meat is tender, remove the goat meat with a slotted spoon and strain the broth through a sieve into a large pot or bowl, using a spoon if necessary to help force some of the ground vegetables through the sieve (scrape the underside of the strainer with a spoon also), then return the meat and broth to the pot and adjust the seasonings (salt, onion, tomato, dried red pepper, etc.) to taste. Add a little more water if necessary.

Variations:

Cook some eggplant or zucchini in a saucepan, then blend and add near the end for a thicker soup.

Add other vegetables like okra or mushrooms; and/or add other herbs or seasonings depending on what you have on hand.