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Miyan Kuka

Also known as Miyan Kuka (Baobab Leaf Soup)

Miyan Kuka is the most iconic soup of the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria and is considered the soul of Hausa cooking. Made from the dried, powdered leaves of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) — known as kuka in Hausa — this soup has a uniquely thick, slightly mucilaginous texture similar to a draw soup and a distinctly earthy, faintly sour flavour that is completely unlike any other Nigerian soup.

Miyan Kuka, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 3 big cooking spoons of dried ground kuka (baobab leaf powder)
  • Half a medium-sized goat or big handful of beef, cut into pieces
  • 2 big handfuls of stockfish (okporoko), soaked
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 2 cooking spoons of groundnut oil (groundnut oil)
  • 3 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish
  • 3 to 4 Atarodo or fresh Yaji pepper (hot chilli), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon of dawadawa (fermented locust beans / iru)
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 to 5 glasses of water or meat stock

Method

  1. 01

    Cooking the Meat. Season the goat or beef with salt, 1 crushed seasoning cube and sliced onion. Place in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the meat is very tender. Add the soaked stockfish in the last 15 minutes. Remove all meat and reserve the rich, fragrant cooking stock.

  2. 02

    Frying the Base. Heat 2 cooking spoons of groundnut oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry for 2 minutes until soft and golden. Add the dawadawa (locust beans) and fry for 1 minute — the dawadawa will immediately release a pungent, deeply savoury aroma that is the aromatic signature of Northern Nigerian cooking. Add the blended chilli pepper and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until cooked through.

  3. 03

    Adding the Kuka Powder. Add the ground kuka powder to the pot and stir immediately. Pour in the reserved meat stock gradually, stirring continuously as you add the liquid. The kuka powder will hydrate and swell, thickening the soup and developing its characteristic slightly slimy, draw-like consistency. Continue stirring to prevent lumps from forming.

  4. 04

    Adding the Proteins. Add the cooked meat, stockfish, smoked fish and ground crayfish to the soup. Season with the remaining crushed seasoning cubes and salt. Add more water if needed to achieve your preferred soup consistency — Miyan Kuka should be pourable but not thin.

  5. 05

    Simmering to Finish. Cover the pot and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent the kuka from sticking to the bottom. The soup will deepen in colour to a dark olive-green and develop a rich, earthy depth. Taste and adjust salt and seasoning. Serve hot immediately.

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