Pepper Soup

Pepper soup no be soup pass hot, fragrant broth — light, well-spiced liquid wey dem build to warm you up and clear your head. This chicken version na the everyday one, though catfish, goat meat (asun) and cow-leg version dem love am the same way. The defining ingredient na the pepper-soup spice mix, a blend of local seed and aromatic (uda, uziza, ehuru and others) wey dey give the broth im distinctive scent; scotch bonnet dey supply the heat.

Because no thickener dey and small oil dey, pepper soup quick and relatively light on cost — most of the money dey go on the protein and the spice mix, and small of the spice dey go far. Simmer the chicken with the ground spice, onion, pepper and stock until e tender, and finish with scent leaf (nchanwu) for the fresh top note. No over-boil am once the meat done, or the delicate aromatic go flatten.

Nigerian dey reach for pepper soup for good reason pass flavour — na the go-to when person get cold, comfort dish for rainy Lagos night, and light starter for party. E dey scale easy if you add stock and protein, and e dey work as low-carb meal on im own or with small rice or agidi. For the cost of one protein and spoon of spice, e dey deliver plenty comfort.