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Kanuri Pepper Soup

Also known as Kanuri Pepper Soup (Borno Style)

The Kanuri people of Borno and Yobe States in North-East Nigeria have their own distinctive pepper soup tradition that reflects the unique cooking culture of the Lake Chad basin. The Kanuri Pepper Soup uses a spice blend that is different from both Southern Nigerian pepper soups and the standard Hausa preparations — incorporating the specific aromatic spices used in Kanuri cooking, including dried ginger, a local spice mix called kanafuru (cloves), cinnamon and the distinctiv

Kanuri Pepper Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • Half a medium goat or big handful of beef, cut into pieces
  • 1 big handful of fresh catfish pieces
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 4 to 5 very hot chilli peppers, whole
  • 1 teaspoon of ground Cameroon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of ground dry ginger
  • Half a teaspoon of ground cloves (kanafuru)
  • Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon of dawadawa
  • 3 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 5 to 6 glasses of water

Method

  1. 01

    Building the Spiced Broth. Place the goat or beef in a large pot with 5 to 6 glasses of water. Add sliced onion, dawadawa, whole chilli peppers, ground Cameroon pepper, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, ground crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt. Bring to a vigorous boil.

  2. 02

    First Simmering. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the meat is tender and the broth is deeply aromatic from the Kanuri spices. The combination of cloves and cinnamon gives this soup a warm, subtly sweet aromatic note that is unlike any other Nigerian pepper soup.

  3. 03

    Adding Fish. Add the catfish pieces and smoked fish. Cook for 10 more minutes until the fish is cooked through. Taste and adjust all seasonings — the broth should be intensely hot, deeply spiced with the warm Kanuri spice profile, and richly fragrant.

  4. 04

    Serving. Serve very hot in deep bowls with the meat and fish pieces.

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