Groundnut Soup (Domodah)

Groundnut Soup also know as Domodah in The Gambia and Peanut soup in other parts of the world is a very heart warming dish. Typically this delicious soup is made with protein sources like beef, chicken or fish but in this video I'll be replacing those proteins with red lentils for a no-fuss plant-based approach.

Ingredients:

24g sea snail (optional)

280g unsalted groundnut/peanut butter

155g white onions

11g, 2 habanero peppers

275g fresh tomatoes, quartered

55g tomato paste

2 litres water

410g eggplant

1 tsp smoked red chili pepper flakes

1 tbsp coarse salt

300 - 325g red lentils

350g carrots

12 pieces okra, tops removed

85ml lime/lemon juice from 2 to 3 limes/lemons

3 to 4 habanero pepper to garnish

Directions:

1. Cut the sea snail into bite sizes and set aside.

2. Slice the onions, cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces and set them aside too.

3. Cut off the tops of the eggplant and the carrots. Cut the eggplants into quarters and the carrots at a slant into large chunks. Steep both of the ingredients in a large pot of fresh water so that they don't get brown during the initial phase of the cooking process

4. To a large stock pot, add in the unsalted groundnut butter, water, onions, 1 to 2 habanero peppers (depending on spice tolerance), tomatoes and tomato paste. Grind to a smooth consistency using an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can use a large blender appliance to blend these ingredients before adding them to the pot.

5. Add in that sea snail if you have it, cover the pot slightly and bring the contents in the pot to a rolling boil on high heat for 10 minutes. Keep watch on the pot to ensure that the contents do not overflow.

6. Stir the contents well then reduce the heat and don't cover the pot all the way to minimize the chances of your pot overflowing. Continue to boil the contents on low to medium level of heat for another 30 to 40 minutes until the oil from the peanut butter rises to the surface of the soup.

7. Add in the quartered eggplants and season the soup with salt and smoked red chili pepper flakes.

8. Wash the red lentils until the water runs clear - that will take about 5 to 7 washes depending on how much red lentils you need for the soup. If you're using green or brown lentils they will need a longer time to cook so be sure to plan in advance for that.

9. After washing the red lentils set it aside and prepare some fresh lime/lemon juice.

10. After 5 minutes of cooking the eggplant, add in the red lentils and lime/lemon juice then the okra, carrots and the remaining whole habanero peppers. Give the soup another good stir, making sure that there are no contents sticking to the bottom of the pot. Let it cook for another 5 to 7 minutes so everything gets well infused with the aroma of the groundnut soup before it's time to feast.

11. Serve the groundnut soup with rice, gari, boiled cassava, African yam or whatever starch or carbohydrate you prefer.