BOABAB LEAF SOUP (AKA MIYAR KUKA)
BOABAB leave Soup! “Manyan Kuuka” as I grew up calling it. I doubt you even know what that is unless you are either from northern part of most Sub Saharan African homes. This is a vibrant green soup made out of the leaves of the baobab tree which is dried and powdered. It's often paired with Touzafi (TZ), a corn based swallow also indigenous to Northern Ghana, however I recently tried it with Gari Eba* & Oat Eba if you wanted a healthy version, and it was great.
TZ was and continuous to be a stable meal in my family and given that it is eaten at least 3 - 4 times a week it is imperative to have variety of soups to go with it and baobab leave soup is one of those, simple and quick ones. Fun fact, this was the first soup I learnt how to make and honestly it did not turn out right, what was meant to be a green looking soup, ending up being RED! I know, clearly I have learnt from that episode and below is a quick and easy way to get it right, the first time. This is the simplest and no fuss version of this soup so hopefully you can try it
Ingredients (Serves 2 - 3 people):
3 tablespoons dry baobab leave powder (Kuuka powder)
1 Scotch bonnet
1 tomatoes
1 small onion
1 thumb of ginger
2 tablespoons of ground crayfish
1 Kg of choice of meat washed and cleaned (I used left over dried fish, mutton, dried herrings)
1 large onion, half chopped, half to blend
Salt to taste
Preparation (35 - 45 minutes)
Place your cleaned meat with chopped onions and salt in a pot, and add 1/4 a cup of water. Set on low – medium heat and allow meat to release its juices
With your meat on fire, and blend the other half of the onion with ginger and pour into the steaming pot of meat
Add in whole scotch bonnet and tomatoes and let meat and vegetables simmer for about 20 minutes
Take out scotch bonnet and tomatoes after 20 minutes to blend and add to the pot
Add a cup of water and add in ground crayfish and let simmer for another 5 minutes
After 5 minutes sprinkle the Kuuka powder while stirring slowly to avoid lumps
To activate the mucilaginous nature in the soup, add a tiny spec of Kanwa (Salt petre) This is optional step, but most people traditionally will add the I step, just ensure that you don’t overdo it because guess what, you will end up with RED soup like I did my first time ☺
Allow soup to simmer for 5 – 10 minutes and you are ready to serve with whatever you swallow you are having it with.
