Wierd request: anybody know the recipe for West African pepper soup?

[MikeLM]

Many years ago I lived in Liberia, on the west coast of Africa. (My father was in the State Department and had his family with him.) This was long before Liberia collapsed into anarchy and chaos.

Reading the latest issue of Chili Pepper magazine, I was reminded of a soup that my mother loved: Billy Goat Pepper Soup. I was too young to appreciate it, but she loved it, though eating it resulted in tears and profuse sweating.

I'm old enough now to appreciate such a fiery dish, but it would be fun to have something like the authentic. The indigienous (sp?) peppers were called "Billy Goat" by the locals- I have no idea of their botanical description. It was those with chicken broth and, I think, peanuts ("ground nuts" in West Africa) and probably some vegetables.

Just a shot in the dark...

Anybody got some of this unusual knowledge?

Thanks,

Mike

[castironchef]

Is this what you're looking for?

Pepper Soup

Pepper Soup or Peppersoup—which is especially popular in the English-speaking countries of Western Africa: Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria—doesn't have any more pepper than many other African soups. It is usually made with goat meat, but can also be made with beef, chicken, or mutton. There are many ways this soup can be seasoned. One Nigerian company makes "Peppersoup cubes" (for "easy, tasty, convenient peppersoup in double quick time"), which may be available in import grocery stores.

What you need

two pounds goat meat, lamb or mutton (beef for stew can also be used); cut into bite-sized pieces
one or two onions, quartered
two or three hot chile peppers, cleaned and chopped
peppersoup seasoning (see below)
four cups meat broth or stock
two tablespoons ground dried shrimp
one small bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
one tablespoon fresh or dried utazi leaves (or bitterleaf) (see below)
salt and black pepper to taste

What you do

In a deep pot or dutch oven, combine meat, onions, chile peppers, and a cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook until meat is done, twenty to thirty minutes, adding water as necessary to keep pot from becoming dry.


Add peppersoup seasoning and the broth or stock (or water) and simmer over low heat for ten to twenty minutes.


Add the dried shrimp, mint leaves, and utazi leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until soup is to be served.

Packaged peppersoup seasoning mix, usually imported from Nigeria, may be found in African grocery stores. The traditional spices used in pepper soup are little known outside of Africa.

Jessica B. Harris and others report that expatriate Nigerians make a substitute peppersoup seasoning mix from allspice, anise pepper, anise seeds, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried ginger, fennel seeds, and tamarind pulp.

Some cooks also use thyme, Maggi® cubes, curry powder, cayenne pepper or red pepper, and tomato paste.

Utazi leaves and bitterleaf may also be found in African grocery stores. If they cannot be obtained, any bitter green can be substituted.

From www.congocookbook.com

(Google's a wonderful thing.)

[Culprit]

If you're fresh out of goat meat....
http://gambia.i-dss.de/about0-2-0.phtml

[Jacaranda]

Aha! A very interesting recipe, this one. It's related closely to a spicy Brazilian groundnut sauce whose name has slipped my mind, and which of course was transported to Brazil by slaves from West Africa.

Muriel Tew, who wrote one of the earliest West African cookery books in 1920, gave a simple recipe for groundnut soup - 2 cups stock, 1 cup of roasted, ground groundnuts (i.e. peanut butter), salt and pepper. But I commend to you the recipe at Chefs.com:

3 cups chicken broth
2 onions\cooked, chopped
2 tomatoes\cooked, chopped
2 slices fresh ginger root
1 boiled yam or sweet potato, mashed
1 fresh garlic clove, crushed
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. peanut butter


Instructions

Combine first 8 ingredients in a saucepan. Cook on low heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until all ingredients are tender. Add peanut butter, stirring, and cook for a few more minutes, or until soup thickens.

Billy goat peppers are known by the same name in the West Indies - again, there's the connection across the Atlantic slave routes; in the Bahamas the name is given to Scotch Bonnet peppers, which are similar to habanero peppers. If there's a Caribbean or West African grocery near you, it's worth trying to find the real thing!

[MikeLM]

"...in the Bahamas the name is given to Scotch Bonnet peppers..."

So that's why my mother wept and sweated as she did!

Thanks, CastIron, Culprit and Jacaranda for the sleuthing.

Funny story-
couple years ago I was at Whole Foods picking out a couple of Habaneros for a recipe. I picked up several and selected two. Just then, a young produce clerk, working several feet away, turned and politely said "umm... excuse me, sir, do you know what you've got there?"

I help up the two peppers and said "Well, I figure these are a lifetime supply."

He smiled and said, "OK, you're fine- enjoy."

Mike

[Myplaceoryours]

[quote=Jacaranda;151341]Aha!... I commend to you the recipe at Chefs.com:

Thanks, Jacaranda. I admit I modified it just a bit (added some sautéed chicken, reduced the onion, substituted dried red chili flakes, used 2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger, etc. and pureed the finished product) but it was wonderful. Yummmmmmmmmm.....