How to prepare Nsala soup with goat meat
Do you like traditional Nigerian food? Then you will most definitely appreciate this delicious traditional soup that's about to become the best dish you have ever tried. Learn how to prepare Nsala soup!
How to make Nsala soup, one of the most delicious Nigerian dishes?
Ofe-Nsala is a white Nigerian soup, the origin of which derives from the Eastern region of Nigeria and the Riverine areas. The special feature of this tasty dish is that it is made without any palm oil. The use of it is not really necessary when it comes to the Nsala soup preparations, like with some other Nigerian soups (pepper, ewedu). This soup is extremely popular in the eastern and southern parts of Nigeria, among Igbo and Efik people.
If you want to try your hand at preparing this delicious soup yourself, you need a full guide on how to make Nsala soup, which we'll give you in this post. Soon, you will be able to prepare this incredible soup on your own and make your friends and family happy with your cooking skills!
Below you will find the list of the ingredients that you will need for your soup and the full Nsala soup recipe. The important thing to know is that these ingredients will be just enough for about five people, three times in a row. You can refrigerate Nigerian soups up to two weeks. Sometimes it is convenient to cook a lot of soups, and later refrigerate the remaining ones.
The necessary ingredients for Nsala white soup:
- 1 cup of ground crayfish
- 3 knorr cubes
- 3 full teaspoons of ground uziza seeds
- Uziza leaves
- Two medium-sized dried fishes
- 2 kg of goat meat
- Salt and pepper for adding taste
- 6-8 slices of yam (should be of the fist size)
- Optional ingredients: snails and utazi leaves
Preparing the pot of delicious Nsala soup usually takes you from sixty to eighty minutes average. Sometimes it can take longer, depending on your skills. Either way, it is not a long time, and you can practice cooking a really tasty dish so in the future your process will be much faster. The next time you will cook the soup, you will already know the entire process, and it will be a piece of cake for you.
READ ALSO: How to make Ewedu soup?
Now, here is a step-by-step recipe on how to prepare Nsala soup with goat meat. It is not difficult, and you are capable of doing it, so most importantly – enjoy yourself!
- First of all, you should peel and boil the yam. This process can be completed with the help of mortar and pestle. The pounded yam serves as a thickener for the soup, and it can be eaten not only with Nsala but also with many other soups.
- Then, grind your crayfish and uziza seeds. The uziza seeds need to be washed and sliced. In case you are using snails, you can wash them too.
- As your next step, you will need to parboil your goat meat together with the needed ingredients. It is recommended to use two cubes of knorr, a bulb of onions, salt, and some kitchen glory for seasoning.
- The meat has to be parboiled from twenty to forty minutes. Then, you will have to check if it is soft enough to consume. If it is, you can go further and add the dry fish washed in hot water. If you are using stronger dry fish, for instance, mangala, you will probably add it earlier. After you have put the fish, you should add some water – precisely from ninety to hundred centiliters. The water should be cold or boiled.
- The amount of water you will pour into the Nsala soup is fully dependent on the availability of the ingredients and thickener, as well as the number of people who you are cooking the soup for. This is individual for everyone, so use your own wisdom.
- The newly-made combination needs to be boiled for another short period of time – namely ten to twenty minutes. The ingredients need to be soft and well-prepared for consumption. Afterwards, you will have to add some ground crayfish, uziza seeds, and the ground pepper. Speaking of pepper, it is much better if you will use the red one because sometimes color makes difference.
- You can now taste the soup. Depending on the taste, you can add some more kitchen glory, salt, or the cube of knorr. After that, taste once more and make sure it is good.
- Now, you can add the pounded yam. If it does not seem thick enough, you can add some more of it. However, lighter soup usually tastes better than the thicker one.
- Next step will be adding sliced uziza along with the utazi leaves. The latter are used only for the slightly bitter taste.
- The Nsala soup with goat meat is ready! Now you can serve it to your closest people and amaze them with your cooking!
You have learned how to make delicious Nsala soup with goat meat. By the way, it can also be prepared with chicken – it depends on your personal preferences, but the process of cooking is not so different. Nigerian soups are something special, and everyone should try them.
READ ALSO: How to prepare Edikang Ikong soup
Source: Legit.ng
