Banga Soup (Nigerian Palm Nut Soup Recipe)
Banga soup is a rich, deeply flavorful Nigerian palm nut soup that is incredibly easy to make, especially with store-bought palm nut concentrate. One pot of this and your whole kitchen will smell absolutely amazing!
Servings: 8
Calories: 340kcal
Ingredients
- 1 can Palm-nut concentrate
- 2 lbs catfish
- 8 oz shrimps
- 1 tablespoon bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground crayfish
- 1.5 tablespoon banga spice
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Cut and clean your catfish if you bought it whole.
Using store-bought concentrate
- Pour the palm nut concentrate into a pot.1 can Palm-nut concentrate
- Add in the shrimps and spices and let it boil for 10 minutes.8 oz shrimps, 1 tablespoon bouillon powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon ground crayfish, 1.5 tablespoon banga spice, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add your catfish and simmer for about 15 minutes.2 lbs catfish
- When the oil from the palm nut starts to rise to the surface, your banga soup is ready.
Make the palm nut concentrate using a mortar and pestle (optional)
- Wash the palm nut seeds, and place them in a pot with enough water to cover them.
- Boil till tender (about 20 minutes).
- Pour the palm kernel seeds into a mortar and use a pestle to gently pound and mash them.
- When the palm nut seeds look mushy, transfer them to another large bowl. Add some water, squeeze the palm nuts, and drain into a separate bowl.
- Repeat several times till the water looks a bit lighter.
- Strain the water from washing the palm nut into a pot.
- Boil for about 30 minutes or an hour until the liquid has a thicker viscosity.
- Continue cooking the banga soup using instructions from above.
Notes
- Although palm nut soup is traditionally made with seafood like fresh fish, shrimp, or periwinkles, you can also cook it with meat.
- You can add scent leaves to your soup for an additional dimension of flavor.
- Palm-nut soup produces quite a bit of oil. If this bothers you, you can drain some of it when it's ready.
- You can add more or less cayenne pepper, depending on your preference.
- You can also add spinach or other leafy greens to this Nigerian soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg