Peppersoup
Gaga Ekeh
I've been feeling, as many would say, a bit under the weather.
It's a mini flu. A Tanzanian friend, who I've employed as
a de facto African doctor, made me some soup yesterday to
assist my recovery. I told her that back home all I'd have
done was go to abe-igi and get some hot peppersoup. So she
made me some soup, and put a lot of pepper. While *hot* it
wasn't quite the same as peppersoup. It did clear my nose
though. However, I still feel for some peppersoup, so if there
are those who have the recipe for real home-time peppersoup,
I beg post it on the net. Make me sef do like say I dey
my home.
Peppersoupinglingy yours,
Mr. Ekeh
Ayo Akatugba
Gaga,
Here's an original pepper soup recipe from Delta for a medium sized pot.
1. Ground dry red pepper (Ask for the Nigerian brand)
2. Dry fish or chopped goat meat or chopped chicken (the choice is yours)
3. Water (half pot)
4. Akaun (Some call it potash and it's available in oriental shops:a must)
5. 1 tablespoon of Ground dry crayfish(the brown type: a must for the
original . flavour)
6. 1 Urierie (Urhobo name for a small long black ingredient, I dont know
the . botanical name for it. It makes you well immediately)
7. 1 teaspoon of Benetietie (Itsekiri name for an ingredient which looks like
. crushed dried green leaves).
8. 2 Maggi Cubes
9. Salt
* There are other ingredients but this would do.
Cooking instructions:
Add the goat meat, chicken or dry fish to the water. Add some pepper to
your taste (I usually prefer it very hot). Add the maggi cubes. Heat this
and let it boil for some time. Add the crayfish and benetietie and let it
cook for a few minutes. Crush the urierie a little (do not let it
disintegrate), enough to allow the flavour to seep into the pepper soup.
Add this and a little piece of the akaun(like a quarter of a cube of
sugar)to the pepper soup and let it cook for a few minutes and then add
some salt if needed. Make sure you remove the urierie from the pepper soup
when you finish cooking.
You should feel very much at home with this. God bless you. Get above the
weather and enjoy your pepper soup! What's abe-igi anyway?
Ayo Harriet Akatugba
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