One Diva Dishing: African Peanut Soup

Growing up in Lebanon I had an aunt whose family frequently traveled to, and for a while lived, in Ghana. She brought this dish back with her and we all knew it as FuFu. She and her sister (my mom Jamal) made it ever since, and continued to make it until my sweet Tante Nohad passed away in the early 90s. But every time my mom made it, we thought fondly of our Tante Nohad.

Fast forward to the year 2000 when my husband and I moved to California and I no longer had the opportunity to enjoy this rich, silky, umami-packed soup whenever I wanted to. Because mom was not around, because I was young and not quite yet a cook, and because I had no recipe for it, FuFu soon fell off my radar screen and thus, my dinner repertoire.

But a couple of weeks ago it popped in my head and I had a wicked (there's the New England in me coming out) craving for it. So I called up my mom and she gave me the recipe over the phone. This dish is easy and best made in a pressure cooker.

Note that the name FuFu is a bit of a misnomer for the recipe you see here. This version is pretty much African Groundnut (or in this case, Peanut) Soup. But in Ghana and other African countries, this peanut soup is served with actual FuFu, which is a starchy side for stews or other dishes with sauce.

FuFu is usually made from yams, sometimes combined with plantains. In Central Africa, FuFu is often made from cassava, whereas Liberia's FuFu is made from cassava flour. FuFu can also be made from semolina, rice, and even instant potato flakes or Bisquick (if you're an American and you're in a pinch). But regardless of which FuFu recipe you fancy, one thing is for certain: you need some pretty strong biceps, shoulders and hands to make FuFu, which involves boiling, pounding, and vigorous stirring until the FuFu is thick and smooth.

My mom always served it with football-shaped sorta-but-not-quite-mashed-potato FuFu (she omits the butter and dairy for the potatoes in this dish; just boiled potatoes and some salt to hold the "football" shape together). Here I serve it with plain Jasmine rice. This dish may not look like much but the flavor is outstanding. A sprinkle of Tabasco sends it over the moon.

More than 20 years have gone by, and countless FuFu dinners have been made. We are still missing you, Tante Nohad. This blog entry is for you.

*Special equipment: Pressure Cooker (PC). Mine is a Magefesa, and back in the day, 'twas a fine PC but since then, the Fissler Vitaquick 8½-Quart Pressure Cooker ($280) has taken over as king. It comes in at a hefty price tag but you will do fine with the Fagor Duo 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker ($110) and the Presto 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker ($65), all available through Amazon.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 boneless, skinless whole chicken breasts, (tenders attached)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen (with basil)
10 oz. smooth peanut butter such as Jiff or Skippy (do not use natural)
1/2 lb. chopped frozen okra
1 medium eggplant, peeled, and cut into 1.5 - 2 " cubes
3 cups of hot water
Salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste
Jasmine rice, cooked according to package directions

Gather the mise-en-place. This dish comes together very quickly so have everything ready, cans opened, chicken trimmed of cartilage and other "undesirable icky stuff" as I call it... Once the lot is in the pot, you're home free.

1. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker until shimmering. Add chopped onion and cook until softened, about 7-8 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the chicken breasts to your liking, and heat the 3 cups of water in the microwave.

2. Add the trimmed chicken breasts in a layer or layers.

3. Top with the chopped eggplant and the frozen, chopped okra.

4. Stir the peanut butter in the hot water until dissolved. I prefer the Adjust-A-Cup for hard to measure/weigh/dispense ingredients such as cream cheese, peanut butter, etc.

6. The peanut butter will look curdled or broken but that is OK.

7. Add the peanut butter/water mixture, followed by the crushed tomatoes. DO NOT STIR.

8. Close the lid, turn the valve to the "closed" position and set the stove heat to high. When high pressure has been reached (you can tell this by the steady, low-grade but very audible whistle emanating from the valve), turn the heat/flame to low/simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Turn the flame off and either let the pressure come down naturally (meaning, do nothing for 15 minutes or so), or use the quick-release method for steam, by flicking the valve to the open position. If you use the quick-release method, make sure before you do so that the steam will be facing away from you.

9. Open the lid carefully and remove the chicken breasts using tongs. Set breasts aside.

10. In a blender, food processor, or using an immersion blender, process the liquid and solids until you have a smooth, even puree. The liquid should have the consistency of a thick, butternut squash soup and an almost identical color.

11. Return the soup to the pressure cooker. If it's too thin, let simmer until thickened or add a little more peanut butter. If it's too thick, thin with some water. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and sweet paprika.