Fufu with Light Soup

🧂 Ingredients

• 500 g Cassava
• 2 medium Green plantains
• 500 g Goat meat or beef
• 4 medium Ripe tomatoes
• 1 large Onion
• 1-2 Scotch bonnet peppers
• 1 inch piece Fresh ginger
• 60 ml Palm oil
• as needed Water
• to taste Salt
• 1-2 Stock cubes (optional)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the meat: In a pot, combine the goat meat (or beef) with enough water to cover. Add a pinch of salt and optional stock cubes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender. This can take 45-60 minutes, depending on the cut of meat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.

   ⏱️ 45-60 minutes
2. 2

   Prepare the soup base: While the meat is simmering, blend the chopped tomatoes, onion, scotch bonnet peppers, and ginger until smooth. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to help the blender. Set aside.

   ⏱️ 10 minutes
3. 3

   Cook the fufu ingredients: Once the meat is tender, add the peeled and chunked cassava and plantains to the pot with the meat. Ensure they are submerged in the cooking liquid. If needed, add more water to cover everything. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to medium, cover, and cook until the cassava and plantains are very tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 30-40 minutes.

   ⏱️ 30-40 minutes
4. 4

   Make the soup: Once the fufu ingredients are tender, remove them from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the meat cooking liquid into a separate bowl, discarding any solids. Return the tender meat to the original pot. Add the blended tomato mixture and the palm oil to the pot with the meat. Stir well. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, or until the soup has thickened slightly and the raw tomato taste has cooked out. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and additional stock cubes if desired. The soup should be flavorful and slightly spicy.

   ⏱️ 20-30 minutes
5. 5

   Pound the fufu: While the soup simmers, place the cooked cassava and plantain chunks into a large, sturdy mortar. Begin pounding with a pestle, working them together vigorously. Initially, the mixture will be sticky and lumpy. Continue pounding and turning, scraping down the sides of the mortar as needed, until a smooth, elastic, and homogenous dough forms. This requires significant effort and can take 15-20 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry, a tiny splash of hot water can be added, but be careful not to make it too wet.

   ⏱️ 15-20 minutes
6. 6

   Serve: To serve, wet your hands slightly. Take a portion of the fufu dough and roll it into a smooth ball, about the size of a golf ball. Make a slight indentation in the top with your thumb. Place the fufu ball in a serving bowl and ladle the hot soup over and around it. Repeat for all servings. Serve immediately. Traditionally, fufu is eaten with the right hand, using the fufu ball to scoop up the soup.

   ⏱️ 5 minutes

💡 Pro Tips

• ✓For easier pounding, ensure the cassava and plantains are cooked until very soft.
• ✓The texture of fufu should be smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky.
• ✓Adjust the number of scotch bonnet peppers to control the spiciness of the soup.
• ✓Traditionally, fufu is swallowed without chewing. Use the fufu to scoop the soup and then swallow.
• ✓If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a very sturdy food processor or stand mixer with a dough hook, though the texture might differ slightly.

🔄 Variations

• Use different starches like yam or cocoyam for the fufu dough.
• Serve with other Ghanaian soups such as Groundnut Soup (Nkatenkwan) or Palm Nut Soup (Abenkwan).
• Incorporate fish or chicken into the soup instead of goat meat or beef.

🥗 Nutrition

Per serving