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.