This was the bomb just like the pepper soup I always make. First of all This one has options I made my pepper soup spice but if you do not want to use this recipe you can get the ready made store bought version, the choice is yours. If you are making pepper soup spice please have this ready before you start making the pepper soup itself.
I added 1/4 cup of water to the blender for ease of blending and added 1 bell pepper of any color except for red, 1 small piece of ginger washed, cut, peeled and chopped, 1 scotch bonnet or habenero deseeded, 5 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped, 1 onion or shallot chopped or 3 green onions cut in to tiny pieces. Blend this and set this aside.
I had 1 kilo or 1 lb of tripe. It can be from a goat, lamb or cow. Remove the fat from the smooth site of the tripe and this is the smelly part too. I did this while It was uncut to make it easier to clean.
In a large mixing bowl I added 1 pinch each of baking soda and kosher salt washed very well and keep rinsing with cold water as we go. Just make sure it is cold running water and you will need lots of it to clean the tripe. I filled up the bowl again and this time I added 1 oz of white vinegar to the cold water and placed the still uncut tripe inside and washed it very well.
I rinsed twice more then I took the kitchen shears and cut the tripe in tiny pieces. Mr. Riaz was not home while I was cooking this so he would hold the thing while I cut if he was here instead of at work. After I cut the tripe in to tiny pieces again I added cold water to the large mixing bowl of cold water again and washed it very well and rinsed 4 more times. Then I set it aside while I finished prepping.
I added 2 tbs of red palm oil to the pressure cooker and let it get hot so the palm oil can melt, the blended pepper mixture, 3 tiny pieces of lemon grass, 1 small piece of tamarind, stir and add the the cleaned tripe, the contents of the mortar if you made the pepper soup spice or 2 pinches of the store bought. I actually have used both because I was using the store bought before I had spotted the ehru.
I added 1 bulion cube. 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma, 1 pinch each of crayfish, uziza leaves thyme, basil, bitterleaf, utazi, 1/2 gallon or 2 liters of water. Stir again and add the lid to the pressure cooker with the heat being on high. When the safety button pops up set the timer for 30 minutes.
When time is up turn off the heat and let the pressure escape. When the pressure is gone, open the lid if the tripe is still a little tough add 3 more cups of water if it needs it and again after the safety button pops up that the timer gets set for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat again and once more let pressure escape. When no more pressure is left open the lid and add 2 pinches of achi or another soup thickener of choice. Turn on the heat and let cook for another 5 minues and shut the burner off for the final time.
The really optional part of this post is if you want to add 6 cocoyams is cook it in advance for 30 minutes in a pressure cooker cool peel and set aside. Readd the cocoyam that has been boiled peeled. Take 1 small yam or 2 potatoes peel and add to the tripe before you turn it on again for turn it on for another 20 minutes, or you can add 1 green plantain and cook for 10 minutes then shut off the heat. If you putting this in the soup then eating fufu is not necessary. Because I left these out which as I said before is why I ate fufu.
Either way with cocoyam, yam, potato or plantain and if not with fufu it is great. Enjoy!!!!!
I enjoyed because I have not been feeling well at all so for me this was much needed medicine.
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