Here it is winter in Chicago again. I want an excuse any excuse to have some yummy pepper soup that gives me a warm feeling al the way to my bones which is enough to ward off the crazy chill from Chicago’s horrible cold weather.
This time I made it with chicken and yam. I had taken out a package of chicken leg quarters that had two of them in there. They were a thigh and and drumstick each that I had to break at the joint and then cut to seperate. This was after I took it out of the freezer and thawed out earlier when I set it down in the fridge the night before.
I have added 1/2 gallon or 2 liters of water to the pot and brought to a boil. I added 1 tsp of palm oil and 1 pinch of crayfish. I added the chicken that I had cut and put in the pot to boil. I added 1 small yam that I peeled and cut in to small chunks and added them to the pot. Also there is yam that comes frozen called suran. It is in a lot of Indian food stores. 1 bag of this suran can be used too.
In 1/4 cup of water in a blender add 2 cloves of garlic, 1 small piece of ginger washed and peeled, 1 onion or 1 shallot or 3 green onions and either 1 habenero or 1 scotch bonnet and blend and add to the pot. I added 1 pinch each of African yellow chili powder or red chili powder if I did not use habenero or scotch bonnet and 1 pinch of paprika.
I would add in a mortar and pestle 1 each of allegator pepper, a small piece of uda, and 1 pinch of uziza seeds and I would grind in to a coarse powder. I added 1 tsp of pepper soup spice, 2 pieces of lemon grass and 1 small piece of tamarind. I stirred and added 1 bullion cube and 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma. I added 1 pinch each of thyme, white pepper and basil.
I added the next 3 which are optional which are 3 pinches each of bitter leaves, ugu and uziza leaves then 1 tbs of tomato paste. I cooked this pepper soup until the chicken and the yam are nice and tender. The ugu, uziza leaves and bitter leaves can be added together or used seperately. I chose only to add bitterleaf.
Enjoy it with fufu of choice. Alternatively you can just have plain chicken pepper soup or add your choice of 3 cocoyams, 2 potatoes or 1 green plantain as other options.
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