This plantain pepper soup pottage is one dish I have come to enjoy during this rainy season. It has just the right amount of spice and heat to keep me warm this period. I love and enjoy the cool weather we’ve been experiencing here in Abuja. In fact, I can’t complain. I most certainly prefer this to the hot weather we have in January and March!! Goodness! 🥵
That heat is so unapologetic especially if you’ve been out in the sun. This is why I love and appreciate the cool weather. I always take tea and some nice spicy soups to keep warm. Check out my post on okro pepper soup for another spicy dish that is good for the cool weather: http://eneskitchene.com/okro-pepper-soup/
Health benefits of unripe plantain
I made this plantain pepper soup a healthy pottage by using unripe plantain and omitting palm oil. A bowl of this pottage is packed with a lot of nutritional goodies and a lot of dried fish!! 😁 Funny enough, I never used to like unripe plantain until someone told me about the health benefits and once I hear something is healthy, I’m definitely on board! Unripe plantain is rich in iron, potassium, so many vitamins and it can be eaten by diabetics. Some people even use it for medicinal purposes and I am a proud believer in the healing properties of certain foods, spices and herbs.
Dried fish or smoked fish?
This picture above, please what is it called? 😏 Dried fish or smoked fish? Kindly leave a comment below on the name of this fish. The reason I’m asking is because I see a lot of people call it smoked fish. I know it as dried fish whereas smoked fish to me is the smoked panla or mackerel you see me use in the coconut palm oil rice post: http://eneskitchene.com/coconut-palm-oil-rice-rice/
In this recipe, I make use of dried fish and smoked panla and I have to tell you it took this recipe to 10 over 10! 💯 Every spoon I took felt like there was a prize in there! It either had a good chunk of dried fish or crunchy, juicy, dried prawns!! By the way I describe food, I’m sure you can tell that I’m a big time unapologetic foodie. 😜
Let’s get started with this recipe.
Ingredients:
4 unripe plantain
1 large onion
Fresh atarodo (habanero) pepper
3 cloves of garlic
2 Nsukka pepper
1 tablespoon of crushed black pepper
Salt and seasoning
3 tablespoons of crayfish powder
Peppersoup spice
Large dried prawns (crayfish)
Dry fish
Smoked panla fish
Green vegetable or Ugu (pumpkin leaf)
Directions:
- Peel and dice plantain in cubes.
- Put diced plantain in a pot with onions, crushed peppers, garlic, salt and seasoning. Add some water and bring to a boil.
3. Add crayfish powder, pepper soup spice, large dried prawns, cleaned dry fish and smoked fish. Correct and adjust seasoning. Cook for another 10 minutes or till plantain is soft enough for you.
4. Lastly add the chopped green or spinach. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. All done! Enjoy a nice bowl of this plantain pepper soup pottage this period and it will keep you feeling warm, and satisfied. God bless you, xoxo!
The first three pics are from 2018, The first time I made this recipe!