African Vegetable Soup Recipes: A Culinary Journey

Vegetable soup is a staple in many African countries, with each region offering its unique take on this comforting dish. From the leafy vegetable soups of Nigeria to the hearty stews of Morocco, there's a world of flavors to explore.

Here, we'll delve into some popular African vegetable soup recipes, including Nigerian Vegetable Soup, Afang Soup, and Moroccan Harira.

Nigerian Vegetable Soup

In Igboland, it is called ofe akwukwo nri or vegetable soup for English. Nigerian vegetable soup is often paired with "swallows" like eba, pounded yam, or fufu, and served as either lunch or dinner.

Chef Chidi believes that if you follow this recipe, you could make a pot of this deliciousness in just about 90 minutes. In this recipe, fluted pumpkin (ugu leaves) and water leaves are combined. In Efik it is called edikaikong.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Nigerian Cuisine

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Ingredients:

• Big bowl Waterleaves (1 KG or 35 Ounce)
• Goat meat (1 cup)
• Crayfish (6 scotch bonnet peppers)
• Palm oil (400 ml)
• Big bowl ugu leaves fluted pumpkin
• Roasted mackerel
• 2 seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste
• Ground Ofor (2 tablespoons)

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice the waterleaves and fluted pumpkin (ugu leaves).
2. Wash the ugu leaves before slicing it. Slice the water leaves then wash it. Allow them to strain separately using a sieve to remove excess water.
3. Clean and wash the roasted fish, pound your crayfish/peppers.
4. Season the meat and let it cook till it becomes tender.
5. Add the washed roasted fish to the boiling meat, let them boil together till the water dries.
6. To the meat/fish on heat, add palm oil (400ml).
7. The vegetables should be added, the water leaves should come first. After adding all the water leaves, allow it to simmer for 2-4 minutes while you stir occasionally. Keep stirring.
8. Add the pounded crayfish and peppers.
9. Ugu leaves should follow at this point (fluted pumpkin).
10. Stir in 2 tablespoons of ofor (used as a thickener).
11. Add salt to your taste.

Efo-Riro - Nigerian Vegetable Stew

Efo-riro is a rich vegetable soup that is native to the Yorubas of Western Nigeria. I have made mine with eba, which is a stiff dough made from garri (cassava grains). The eba is soaked in hot water and then kneaded with a flat wooden spoon to form a mashed potato-like consistency.

If you want to go all out and eat this the traditional way, you can use your hand to scoop the eba into little ball shapes and dip into the stew. This dish transports me back home because I always have it when I am back in the holidays, and it tastes better every time.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 Red peppers (tatashe)
• 1 Onion, halved
• ¼ Chili pepper
• ½ cup Water
• 2 tbsp Tomato puree
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Curry powder
• 50 g Shrimps
• 120 g Smoked Basha fillet, cut in chunks
• 125 g Fresh spinach

Directions:

1. In a blender combine peppers, onion, tomatoes and scotch bonnet with 1/2 a cup water. Blend the mixture until smooth but not too smooth.
2. Add vegetable oil to a medium-sized saucepan and leave on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Once hot add in the blended mixture and leave for about 10 minutes till it's slightly thickened.
3. Put spinach leaves in a medium-sized bowl and add boiling hot water. Set aside for about 7 minutes.
4. In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons tomato puree and 2 tablespoons water to make a paste. Add the paste to the stew mixture along with salt and curry powder. Stir.
5. Drain spinach and add cold water. Leave for about 5 minutes then squeeze water and set aside.
6. Add shrimps and cut basa fillet to stew and stir till fully combined.
7. Add about 1/4 cup of water to stew and leave to cook for about 7 minutes. Then add spinach to stew, stir and leave to simmer for about 7 minutes. Until it produces its own liquid.
8. Serve on a plate with eba and enjoy.

Afang Soup Recipe

If you have been following yummy medley for a while, and have managed to escape a trip to your African market, this Afang soup recipe is going to push you to go there, and trust me, this dish is worth the trip. Get on google and look up “African grocery stores near me”, and get ready to take a trip to flavortown.

Afang soup, made by the Efik and Ibibio people that live mostly in the coastal states of Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom is a stew made with Afang leaves and another common green leafy vegetable natively called waterleaf. Afang soup is quite the staple in the coastal cities of South Nigeria and is heavily featured in ceremonies and festivals of the Ibibio, Efik and other residents of the ‘South South’, including weddings, christening of newborn babies or even at funerals.

Afang soup goes best with many types of firm fufu. It is great with Eba, pounded yam, ground rice, oat fufu, and lafun. If you do not have access to fufu at all, you can eat Afang with boiled rice, but nothing beats Afang with a good firm fufu.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Cameroonian, Nigerian
Servings: 8
Calories: 362kcal

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Water leaf or regular/Malabar spinach
• 57 g 2 oz dried Afang leaves (may be labeled Okazi/Eru in the African store)
• 3 lbs Goat meat cut into large bite size cubes
• ½ cup of cooked shelled Apple snails
• ½ cooked shelled Clams
• ½ cup palm oil
• 2 Red onions
• 2 Scotch bonnet peppers substitute with habanero peppers
• 4 tbsp Ground smoked dried shrimp aka crayfish
• 3 tsp Chicken Bullion
• 2 tbsp cayenne pepper/ crushed red pepper flakes optional
• Salt to taste

Afang Leaf also called Eru in Cameroon and Okazi in other parts of Nigeria is a flavorful green leafy vegetable Gnetum africanum, that is commonly grown in West Africa and used in making different soups and stews.

Instructions:

1. Slice both onions and scotch bonnet peppers, and set them aside.
2. On low- medium heat in a large stock pot, braise the goat meat with the one of the onions, scotch bonnet peppers, 1 tsp bullion and 1 tsp salt for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. Half way into braising the goat meat, add ½ a cup of water and stir the meat to prevent in from burning. Keep the pot covered at all times during the braising process.
3. While the meat is braising, wash your water leaf in cool water to get rid of sand and dirt. Pick off the tough stems, but save the tender stems and leaves. Chop and set aside.
4. In a food processor, roughly grind the afang leaves just to break it up a little. Afang leaves are mostly sold in the African store already shredded, but you can break it up a little more using a food processor/ mortar and pestle so the shreds are not as long.
5. Once the meat is tender and is done braising. Set aside.
6. In a deep pot heat up the palm oil on medium heat (be careful not to over heat the oil on high heat) and sauté the other sliced onion for 10 minutes until it is starting to get caramelized.
7. Add in the snails and clams, and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
8. Add in the braise goat meat and reserve the braising liquid. It is a very flavorful stock, and will still be used.
9. Add in 2 teaspoons of bullion, crayfish, and if you are spice inclined, cayenne pepper, stir, then add in the chopped water leaf. Just like regular spinach, the water leaf will look like a lot at first, but wilt down in a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute water leaf for spinach? You can use spinach as a substitute for water leaf/ malabar spinach. It tastes a little different from traditional when cooked with typical spinach, but it is a fair substitute in a pinch. If you have access to different varieties of spinach, I would encourage using a very water rich variety.

Why is Afang Soup called a Calabar Soup? Calabar is the capital city of Cross Rivers state and one of the thriving and more popular tourist locations in Nigeria. As a result of Calabar city’s popularity, many visitors and even Nigerians have associated the indigenes, culture and cuisine of the surrounding area with the name of the town.

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What are the Health Benefits of Afang Leaf? Like all dark green leafy vegetables, Afang is low in fat, and rich in vitamin C, potassium, sodium, iron and magnesium. Afang however is particularly rich in Vitamin A, and very high in dietary fiber.

What are the benefits of Afang soup in pregnancy? Since Afang is particularly rich in folic acid and vitamin A, it has been significant in providing adequate nourishment for both mother and unborn baby.

Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe

Easy homemade vegetable soup is ultra comforting and flavorful with earthy spices and an irresistible aroma. The rich, creamy goodness from coconut milk makes it perfect for a cozy night in.

While many vegetable soups taste bland, this soup is super flavorful. The secret? Be generous with the garlic and ginger, as well as the spices. However, the addition of coconut milk elevates this soup further. The coconut flavor pairs beautifully with the squash, adding an unexpected flavor profile and creamy mouthfeel.

Ingredients:

• Onion, garlic, and ginger
• Celery, carrot, green beans, zucchini, kidney beans, tomato, corn, and cubed butternut squash.

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, and thyme and saute for 3-4 minutes. You want the onions to wilt.
2. Then add the diced tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, kidney beans, carrots, corn, and butternut squash.
3. Pour in chicken stock or broth. Cover, bring it all to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer.
4. Finally, add the coconut milk and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste the soup, adjust seasonings, and serve hot with bread or cornbread.

Tips:

• Please don’t rush the first step, which is sauting onions, garlic, celery, and thyme, for the foundation of this flavorful vegetable soup.
• Consider the cooking time of each ingredient.
• Since most stock has high sodium levels, and so do some canned beans, salt sparingly, especially at first.
• As soon as the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.
• Use less broth and more coconut milk if you want a thicker soup.

Variations:

• Add meat.
• Easy vegetable soup with frozen vegetables. Grab a couple of bags of frozen vegetables (your choice of soup mixes) and simmer until tender.
• Make it vegan. Swap the chicken broth out with vegetable broth, and you’ve got a vegan version of this spectacular soup.
• Add extra carbs. You could also incorporate some Jamaican spinners, dumplings, or gnocchi to make it extra hearty.

Moroccan Harira

Moroccan Harira is a thick soup made with chickpeas, brown rice, red lentils, and vegetables. There are many versions of harira-mine happens to be vegetarian, originally adapted from two different recipes, and tweaked over the years to my taste.

Harira is hearty, packed with delicious vegetables, nutritious legumes and warm spices.

Ingredients:

• Onion, carrots, celery, and diced tomatoes, which create the vegetarian flavor base for this stew.
• Red lentils and cooked chickpeas double the filling properties of this dish.
• Brown rice adds another layer of hardiness to harira.
• Black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, dried ginger, and salt are the all-important flavor agents in this fragrant stew.

Instructions:

1. First, soften up diced onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil.
2. Next, stir in all of the spices.
3. Add diced tomatoes, cooked chickpeas, red lentils, brown rice, and stock.
4. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Turn the heat off and stir in the parsley.

Muslims eat harira during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the holy month of fasting. To serve the dish at your own table, whether you’re fasting or not, harira is perfect as is.

Tips:

• You can add a dollop of tangy yogurt or crème fraîche on top.
• Hearty, scented, delicious harira.

BONUS: this is a fantastic, vegetarian meal prep recipe. You can make a big batch of the soup and store it for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze harira. After you make it, let the stew come to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Here's a table summarizing the key ingredients and flavors of each soup:

Soup	Key Ingredients	Dominant Flavors
Nigerian Vegetable Soup	Water leaves, fluted pumpkin (ugu leaves), goat meat, crayfish, palm oil	Earthy, savory, slightly bitter
Efo-Riro - Nigerian Vegetable Stew	Red peppers, Onion, Spinach, Shrimps, Smoked Basha fillet	Smoky, savory,
Afang Soup	Afang leaves, water leaf, goat meat, seafood (clams, snails), palm oil	Rich, savory, slightly bitter with seafood notes
Creamy Vegetable Soup	Celery, carrot, green beans, zucchini, kidney beans, tomato, corn, butternut squash, coconut milk	Sweet, savory, creamy, aromatic
Moroccan Harira	Chickpeas, brown rice, red lentils, onion, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes	Warm spices (cumin, cinnamon, turmeric), savory

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