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Senegalese Chicken & Peanut Soup

Senegalese Chicken & Peanut Soup

Recipe By     : Sitara

Serving Size: 10   Preparation Time: 2:00

Categories    : Soups

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method

    --------  ------------  --------------------------------

         2       large           onion -- diced small

         4       cloves         garlic -- minced

       1/4     teaspoon      cayenne -- more to taste

         2      tablespoons   oil

       1/4     cup              curry powder  (common yellow curry powder)

        2      teaspoons     Thai yellow curry paste

        2      quarts           chicken stock

        1      pound           chopped cooked chicken – white and dark meat

        1      quart            diced tomatoes -- in juice

        1      cup              peanut butter -- chunky preferred - natural

        1      can              coconut milk

        1      small bunch  cilantro -- chopped

       3/4    teaspoon      Sambal -- to taste

                        juice of one lemon

1.  Sauté onion, garlic and cayenne in the oil until the onion turns translucent.  Stir in curry powder.  Cook for a minute or two stirring constantly…. but be careful that you don't burn the curry powder.

2. Add chicken stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil....then turn down to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes..  Add chopped cooked chicken, coconut milk and Sambal.  Bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3.  Stir in peanut butter.  It takes a bit to stir the peanut butter in thoroughly, don't leave any lumps of peanut butter.   Taste the soup.   If it tastes a little "muddy" add the lemon juice (I usually do anyway, it brightens the flavor) Add cilantro and check for seasonings.

       

This soup should be silky, not thick.   It should be spicy but not overly hot and you should taste the peanuts but it should not taste “peanut buttery”.   I taste this soup often during the process because I want to check for "heat".

The best way to make this soup is to boil a whole chicken.   Take the meat off the bones and use the stock for the soup.   This gives you the depth of chicken flavor.    But do not despair, if you don’t have time to do the whole “start from scratch” thing.   Use a good boxed chicken stock, there are lots of them on the market.  You can use one of those whole roasted chickens you buy in the grocery store….or use leftover Turkey from a Holiday dinner.   Don’t make it hard on yourself, do what is easy for you.

Thai yellow curry paste can be found in better grocery stores and in Asian markets.  It comes in a yellow tub.  Try to use the yellow curry paste, not the green or red, as it makes a big difference in the flavor of the soup.

Sambal Olek is a hot chili sauce.  You can find it in better grocery stores or in Asian markets.  Buy a small jar, a little goes a long way!!

Use a natural peanut butter that doesn’t have any sugar in it.  If you use Jiff or one of those mass market brand name peanut butters your soup will taste icky sweet…..Blech.

You want the peanut silkiness and depth of flavor; but you don’t want a big peanut butter flavor, just the richness of the peanuts.