Peanut Soup

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 1 hr
  • Active: 30 min
Peanut soup, also known as groundnut soup, is eaten throughout certain West African countries. Though made differently depending on the region or tribe, the common ingredient is peanuts. The process of cooking peanut soup in Ghana is slightly different from the way my mom taught my sisters and me here in the United States. In Ghana, the peanuts are first roasted and then ground with some water. This peanut butter liquid is continually stirred and cooked until it starts to thicken a bit, then it's stirred into another pot with homemade broth using a variety of meats and dried fish simmering on a coal pot. My mom’s process of making this soup is the shortcut version. She blends natural peanut butter from the grocery store with peppers and garlic. My version is also a shortcut, but my broth is made with smoked turkey wings because I love the flavor it adds to the soup.
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Ingredients

2 pounds smoked turkey wings, each cut crosswise into 3 or 4 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 small onion

One 3-ounce piece ginger, peeled

1 habanero pepper, optional

1 cup organic natural peanut butter (see Cook's Note)

5 cloves garlic

1/2 cup tomato sauce

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, optional

Fufu, omo tuo or steamed rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Rinse the smoked turkey, then add it to a large pot with the salt. Cut the onion in half and add one of the halves to the pot; chop the other half and add it to the pot too. Add the ginger and habanero pepper, if using, then add water to cover. Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent, the fat from the wings begins to render and the broth is very fragrant, about 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the habanero pepper, if using, and transfer it to a blender or food processor. Add the peanut butter, garlic and 3 cups water to the blender and blend 1 minute. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the broth; it will foam and bubbles will form on the surface. Cook, stirring continuously to stop it from boiling over, about 5 minutes; some of the foam/bubbles will disappear and the soup will settle.
  3. Remove the ginger from the soup, add it to the same blender (cut it into smaller pieces first, if desired) with 2 cups of the soup and blend until smooth. Stir the ginger mixture back into the soup. Transfer the onion half to the blender with 1 cup of the soup and blend until smooth; stir the mixture into the soup to combine. Stir in the tomato sauce. Let the soup simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
  4. If using the mushrooms, add them to the soup, cover and let simmer, about 5 minutes, then remove the cover (if not adding the mushrooms, proceed to the next step).
  5. Let the soup simmer over medium-low heat until the meat and mushrooms, if using, are tender and little oil patches form on the surface, about 10 minutes. Adjust with salt if needed. Serve with fufu, omo tuo or steamed rice.

Cook’s Note

It is important to use all-natural peanut butter. The only ingredient should be peanuts or peanuts and sea salt. Do not use peanut butter that has honey, sugar or other additives, since it might alter the taste of the soup.

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Gina W.

Very tasty although I could not use the habanero as I am avoiding spice.

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