Nigerian Groundnut Soup

Northern Nigerian groundnut soup with palm oil, crayfish and chicken

Origin: Kano, Northern Nigeria

From the journey of Peanut.

Nigerian groundnut soup, known across the north as miyan gyada, is the definitive soup of Hausa cooking and one of the great peanut preparations of West Africa. It is distinct from the Senegalese mafé in its use of palm oil, ground crayfish, and dawadawa (fermented locust bean seasoning), which give it a deeper, more complex umami base. The groundnut, which arrived on the Guinea coast from Brazil in the 1520s, spread inland through the Sahel trade networks to reach the Hausa states of northern Nigeria within a generation. Kano, the great commercial centre of the north, became one of the world's significant peanut trading cities: the massive pyramid-shaped stacks of bagged groundnuts at Kano railway station were once one of the iconic images of Africa. The soup is built on a base of ground roasted peanuts that is cooked into a thick, oil-glistening broth enriched with palm oil, dried crayfish, and dawadawa. Chicken, goat, or tripe are common proteins. It is always served with tuwon shinkafa, the short-grain rice balls of northern Nigeria, or tuwon masara (corn-based), which are pressed into the soup and eaten with the hands.

Ingredients

Groundnut Base

  • 300 g roasted unsalted peanuts, very finely ground to a paste

Protein

  • 1 kg bone-in chicken pieces (or goat, or beef shin)

Fat

  • 3 tbsp red palm oil (unrefined)

Seasoning

  • 2 tbsp ground crayfish (smoked dried crayfish, blended, available at African grocery stores)
  • 1 tbsp dawadawa (fermented locust bean/iru), or 1 tbsp fish sauce as substitute
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Maggi or Knorr)
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Base

  • 1 medium onion, blended or grated
  • 3 plum tomatoes, blended

Spice

  • 2 Scotch bonnet chiles, blended (or to taste)

Liquid

  • 750 ml water

Method

  1. Season the chicken with salt and one seasoning cube. Place in a pot with 250ml water and cook covered over medium heat for 20 minutes until partially cooked and yielding some stock. Set aside (reserve the stock).
  2. In a large pot, heat the palm oil over medium heat until melted and fragrant. Add the blended onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until the rawness cooks out.
  3. Add the blended tomatoes and Scotch bonnet. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the tomato sauce reduces and the oil begins to float on top.
  4. Add the ground peanut paste and stir to incorporate into the tomato base. Add the reserved chicken stock plus 500ml water. Stir thoroughly to dissolve the peanut paste completely.
  5. Add the par-cooked chicken pieces, ground crayfish, dawadawa, and remaining seasoning cube. Simmer uncovered for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thick, deeply flavoured, and the oil pools on the surface.
  6. Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot in deep bowls with tuwon shinkafa (short-grain rice swallow), pounded yam, or fufu.

Notes

Ground crayfish is non-negotiable for authentic flavour; it provides a deep, savoury seafood base note that no other ingredient replicates. It is widely available at African and Caribbean grocery stores. Unrefined red palm oil is also important: refined 'cooking palm oil' lacks the flavour and colour. The soup keeps for up to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well.

The Gastrographer

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