Palmnut-Peanut Butter Soup (Nkate-be)
Description
Experience authentic West African cuisine in your own kitchen with this delicious Ghanaian palmnut and peanut butter soup recipe. Slow cooked oxtail meat cooked in a full flavoured cocktail of tomatoes, creamy peanut butter, rich palmnut concentrate, scotch bonnets, fresh ginger, onions, garlic and smoked fish.
​
​
Serves: 4-6
​
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
~1 kg oxtail meat
season all
table salt
3 1/4 onions
6 scotch bonnets
5 cloves of garlic
1 can of plum tomatoes
1 piece of fresh ginger (~2x1.5 inch)
400 g smooth peanut butter
~500 ml warm water
3 tsp tomato puree
3 cups of water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 L boiling hot water
800 g palmnut concentrate (I used the Trofai brand)
1 smoked catfish
Ingredients
Lunch Recipes
Dinner Recipes
Instructions
1. Wash the oxtail meat and place in a large saucepan
​
2. Add a full circle of season all and 2 full circles of salt to the meat then toss the ingredients together
3. Add 1 whole onion, 1/4 finely chopped onion and 1 scotch bonnet. Toss all the ingredients together in the saucepan. Place the lid on the saucepan and leave to one side until you reach step 8
​
4. To a blender add the plum tomatoes, cloves of garlic, fresh ginger, 2 scotch bonnets and 2 medium onions (roughly chopped). Blend until smooth (you may need to add a little water to encourage blending). Leave to one side until you reach step 9
​
5. To a medium sized saucepan add the smooth peanut butter followed by a little warm water. Mix together with your hands until well combined. Then add 500 ml of warm water then whisk until smooth.
6. Add 1.5 tsp of tomato puree to the peanut butter, then whisk well
​
7. Place the peanut butter on the cooker on high heat for 5 minutes (or until the peanut butter begins to bubble) then reduce to medium heat (Remember to stir occasionally whilst the peanut butter is cooking).
​
8. Once the peanut butter has been reduced to medium heat, start steaming the oxtail meat on high heat for 10 minutes (remember to keep the lid fully on the saucepan)
9. After 10 minutes, add the blended tomato mix, 3 cups of water and 1.5 tsp of tomato puree to the soup. Mix together well and continue to steam for 45 minutes with the lid fully on.
​
10. Now back to the peanut butter! :) After 20 minutes of the peanut butter cooking, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil, then lower the heat slightly.
11. Cook the peanut butter for 10 more minutes with occasional stirring before turning off the heat.
12. After 45 minutes of the soup cooking, add 1 L of boiling hot water, the palmnut concentrate and the peanut butter mix. Mix together well then add another 2 L of boiling hot water.
​
13. Reduce the heat slightly then boil for 1 hour (lid on half way for first 30 minutes, then fully on for the next 30 minutes).
​
14. Gently rinse the smoked fish, the add the fish to the soup and 1-3 scotch bonnets (optional) as well as salt to taste.
​
15. Reduce to medium heat then cook for 40 minutes with the lid on half way.
​
16. Serve the soup with steamed rice ball, or fufu
Dessert Suggestion
Fried Plantain
Have you made this recipe? Comment and rate below.