Palm nut soup

Name: Palm nut soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sierra Leone
Ingredients: 500 g boneless skinless chicken thigh, 3 cm pieces; 300 g canned food-grade palm-fruit pulp, unsweetened, about 20–25% fat; 250 g chopped tomatoes; 150 g chopped onion; 10 g grated fresh ginger; 2 chopped garlic cloves; 600 ml drinking water, adjust at the end; A little fresh chilli, optional; Up to ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper

🍲 Palm-fruit-pulp soup with chicken, tomato and ginger, four home-style portions using canned pulp.

Ingredients

500 g boneless skinless chicken thigh, 3 cm pieces
300 g canned food-grade palm-fruit pulp, unsweetened, about 20–25% fat
250 g chopped tomatoes
150 g chopped onion
10 g grated fresh ginger
2 chopped garlic cloves
600 ml drinking water, adjust at the end
A little fresh chilli, optional
Up to ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper

Preparation

Check pulp label: use canned palm-fruit sauce base without kernels or hard fibres, not bottled oil. Prepare chicken and aromatics; keep raw-poultry utensils separate.

Place chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, optional chilli and 300 ml water in a pan. Bring to a simmer about five minutes, partially cover and cook ten minutes.

Add tomatoes and simmer eight minutes. Dilute pulp with remaining 300 ml water and stir into the pan.

Simmer gently fifteen minutes, partially covered, stirring along the bottom. Add a little hot water if too thick.

Check thickest chicken pieces reach 74 °C in the centre; cook longer if needed. Taste, season gradually and simmer two more minutes.

Divide four portions of chicken and sauce, serving hot with a separately prepared side.