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Groundnut Soup

Also known as Groundnut Soup (Miyan Gyada — Northern Groundnut Stew)

Miyan Gyada — the Hausa groundnut soup — is one of the most significant and internationally recognised dishes of Northern Nigerian cooking. Made from freshly ground or blended roasted groundnuts cooked into a rich, thick, amber-coloured stew with chicken, beef or goat, dawadawa and Northern spices, Miyan Gyada represents the culinary pinnacle of the Hausa love affair with the groundnut — the peanut — which has been cultivated in Northern Nigeria for centuries.

Groundnut Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 3 big cups of raw groundnuts (peanuts), roasted and ground into a paste
  • OR 4 big cooking spoons of natural unsweetened peanut butter
  • Half a medium chicken, cut into pieces
  • 1 big handful of assorted beef, cut into pieces
  • 2 cooking spoons of groundnut oil
  • 1 tablespoon of dawadawa
  • 3 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish
  • 3 to 4 hot chilli peppers, blended
  • 2 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon of ground dry ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of ground Cameroon pepper
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 to 5 glasses of meat stock or water

Method

  1. 01

    Roasting and Grinding the Groundnuts. If using raw groundnuts: spread on a dry pan over medium heat and dry-roast, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes until the skins blister and the nuts smell deeply nutty and toasted. Allow to cool. Rub between your palms to remove the skins. Blend the roasted, skinned groundnuts in a blender with a little water into a smooth, thick paste. This freshly made groundnut paste gives incomparably better flavour than store-bought peanut butter.

  2. 02

    Cooking the Meat and Chicken. Season all meat and chicken with salt, 1 seasoning cube, sliced onion and a little ginger. Cook in enough water to cover for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the protein and reserve the rich, fragrant stock.

  3. 03

    Frying the Base. Heat 2 cooking spoons of groundnut oil in a very large, wide pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add the dawadawa and fry for 1 minute. Add the blended tomatoes and chilli peppers. Fry for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until well-cooked and the oil floats on top.

  4. 04

    Adding the Groundnut Paste. Add the groundnut paste (or peanut butter) to the fried tomato base. Stir vigorously — the paste and the tomato base will combine into a thick, amber, richly fragrant sauce. Fry together for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the raw groundnut smell transforms into a deep, roasted, nutty aroma.

  5. 05

    Building the Soup. Add the reserved meat stock gradually, stirring as you pour. Add the cooked meat and chicken. Add ground crayfish, ground Cameroon pepper, remaining seasoning cubes and salt. Stir everything very well to combine into a cohesive, thick, amber stew. Bring to a simmer.

  6. 06

    Long Simmering to Completion. Simmer the groundnut soup on medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the groundnut from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The soup will reduce slightly and deepen further in colour and flavour. Add more stock or water if it becomes too thick. Taste and adjust all seasonings. The soup should be thick, deeply nutty, richly flavoured and have the characteristic amber colour of well-cooked groundnuts. Serve hot.

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