Photo by Nassima Rothaker
Nkrakra: Chicken Light Soup Fufu by Zoe Adjonyoh
Chicken: 2kg (4lb 8oz) or 8–10 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
Onion: 1, finely diced
Thyme: handful of thyme sprigs
Guinea peppers: 4–5, cracked open
Red chili powder: 1 teaspoon extra-hot chilli powder
Garlic: 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
Salt: 2 teaspoons sea salt
Chalé sauce: 500ml (18fl oz) uncooked Chalé Sauce
Chicken stock: 1 litre (1¾ pints) hot good quality chicken stock
Black pepper: freshly ground black pepper
Vegetables: 400g (14oz) mixed peeled (where appropriate) and diced vegetables, such as yams or sweet potatoes, carrots and white cabbage (optional)
Coriander: sprig of coriander, to garnish (optional
Cherry tomatoes: 400g (14oz) can tomatoes or 600g (21oz) fresh tomatoes
Bell peppers: 2 roasted red bell peppers
Tomato puree: 30g (1oz) or 2 tablespoons tomato purée
Onion: 1 small white onion, roughly diced
Ginger: 5cm (2-inch) piece fresh root ginger, grated
Scotch bonnet chilli: 1 small red Scotch Bonnet chilli (use half and de-seed if you have a low heat tolerance)
Chili flakes: ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Garlic: 3 garlic cloves (optional)
Salt: sea salt to taste
Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Onion: 1 onion, finely diced
Curry powder: 1 teaspoon curry powder
Red chili powder: 1 teaspoon extra-hot chilli powder
Place the chicken in a large, heavy-based saucepan or flameproof casserole dish with the onion, thyme, guinea peppers, chilli powder, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt. Cook together over a low heat, partially covered, until the juices start to run from the chicken.
Pour the chalé sauce over the chicken mixture, then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken juices run clear.
Stir in the hot stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Season to taste with black pepper.
Add your choice of vegetables, if desired, and cook until tender. You can remove the sprigs of thyme before serving.
I love to serve this dish in a traditional Ghanaian asanka pot with a ball of Fufu on the side (see page 173), as it looks so inviting that way. You can also serve it on its own in a large bowl garnished with a sprig of coriander, or with a slice of slightly toasted sourdough bread on the side.
Place all the ingredients except the ‘to cook’ ones in a blender and blend together until you have a fairly smooth paste.
Saute the onion until soft - add the spices and cook until all melded together. Add the blended tomato mixture and simmer gently for 35–40 minutes until the tartness of the tomatoes has cooked out.
Use straight away, or leave to cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for future use.
