Nigerian Bitter Leaf Soup II
Nigerian bitter leaf soup builds a rich, savory broth from palm kernel juice, crayfish and stockfish. The bitter leaf is boiled and rinsed three times first, which tames its sharpness without erasing it. Pounded ede, a taro root, thickens the pot and gives the soup body. The palm kernel is boiled, pounded and strained into a smooth base, a technique worth learning for its depth of flavor.
Instructions
Boil the washed bitter leaf in a pot of water, then drain it in a sieve and rinse well. Repeat the boiling and rinsing two more times, then set the leaf aside to remove the harsh bitterness.
Put the meat, onion, stock cube and stockfish in a second pot and bring to a simmer.
Boil the palm kernel in another pot until soft, then drain it. Move it to a mortar and pound it well.
Mix some warm water into the pounded palm kernel and pour the juice into the pot of meat, leaving the solids behind.
Pound the crayfish and yellow pepper together and stir the mixture into the soup pot.
Boil the ede until soft, then pound it and add it to the soup pot.
Season with more stock cube and salt to taste, then stir in the drained bitter leaf. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, then serve hot.
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