Miyan Kuka (Baobab Leaf Soup)
Miyan Kuka (Also referred to as Luru Soup) is a northern staple. You can find Baobab trees everywhere in the Northern part of Nigeria and Northerners use the dried leaves of the tree to make this delicious soup. It is a true northern delicacy which makes grown men sit on the floor to eat and lick the back of their hands when they are done. It pairs well with tuwo (cereal meal) of any kind and benefits from a dollop of mai shanu (Processed Milk Fat). This is the recipe I grew up eating in Kaduna State. I have also added the recipe for Tuwon Acha (Fonio Meal) at the end of this post.
INGREDIENTS:
(1)/1/2 Cup of Boabab Leaf Powder (Kuka)
(2) Bone-in Beef (Nama da Kashi)
(3) 1 Large Dried Catfish (Busheshen Kifi)
(4) 1 Medium Sized Onion (Albasa)
(5) 1 Beef Stock Cube
(6) 1/4 Cup Fresh Locust Beans or 2 Caked Disks (Dawadawa)
(7) 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger (Cita)
(8) 1-2 Scotch Bonnets (Atarugu)
(9) 1/4 Cup Crayfish
(10)/1 Cooking Spoon Palm Oil (Mai Ja)
(11) Salt to taste. (Gishiri)
For Tuwo Acha
(1) 1 Cup Acha.
NOTE:
(1) Your Kuka should be lump-free. If it isn’t sift it before using.
(2) Miyan Kuka goes very well with dried catfish. Be sure to use this when making this recipe.
(3) You would have noticed that I use a lot of beef in my northern Nigerian recipes. This is because that is the most consumed type of meat in the north. Chicken, goat, lamb, et cetera are usually reserved for special occasions. The use of bone-in beef is to add more flavor to the soup as animal bones contain a lot of flavor. They also retain a lot of the juices of the soup and there is nothing more delightful than sucking on bones and chewing them at the end of a meal. Pure bliss!
Kuka (Baobab Leaf Powder)
PROCEDURE:
(1) Wash beef and bring to a boil in a large pot. Add some chopped onions, salt and stock cube. Do not add water at the beginning of the boiling process. Wait for the beef to cook in its own juices before adding water to it. Cook beef for 30 minutes.
(2) While the beef is cooking, debone and shred the dried cat fish. Soak it in hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and rinse with cold water. Remove bones from fish and tear into large pieces. The head can be broken into large bits or left whole for some interesting crunch (mum’s portion. Do not touch).
(3) Pound together the peppers, ginger, dawadawa and crayfish until you get a paste. You can also do this with a good processor or mill.
(4) After the beef has cooked for 30 minutes, add some more water to the pot. The amount of water you add will depend on how much soup you want to prepare and the quantity of meat you used. Add the dawadawa paste, dried fish and palm oil. Adjust seasoning and allow to cook for another 30 minutes. This long cooking time is needed to tenderize the bone-in beef and to harmonize the flavors of all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning if needed as the liquid quantity reduces.
(5) After 30 mminutes, you are ready for the last few steps. Remove all the beef and large chunks of fish from the soup into a large bowl. This is important in order to achieve a lump free soup. You want the soup to be ‘obstruction free’ so you can easily whisk in the Kuka.
(6) Some people take the soup off fire at this stage and allow to rest for 5 minutes before adding the Kuka. This step is totally unnecessary. Its time to whisk in (kada) the Kuka. With a woodle spoon or ladle, add the Kuka a pinch at a time with one hand while you stir the soup with your other hand. Do not rush this step. If you add a lot at a time, your soup would be lumpy. Keep adding and stirring the soup until you get the consistency that you love.
(7) Return the beef and dried fish to the pot and cook for 10 more minutes and your soup is ready. This soup tastes a lot better the next day (Dumame).
Tuwon Acha:
Miyan Kuka is best served with tuwo of any kind. I love serving this soup with tuwon Acha as that is the way I grew up eating it as the son of a Berom woman. Beroms love their Acha.
To make tuwon Acha, wash your Acha. I have a HOW TO tutorial on how to do this here. The golden rule here is that the quantity of water you use should be twice the quantity of Acha. For one cup of Acha, place 2 Cups of water in a pot and bring to boil. Add the Acha and keep stirring until a thick paste is formed. If you don’t stir it until this point, it would develop lumps. After a thick paste has formed, REDUCE HEAT TO LOW, cover pot and allow the Acha to cook and steam for 20 minutes. The words in block letters are important or you would end up with burnt Acha. After 20 minutes, use a wooden spoon to turn Acha and serve. There would be some slight burn at the bottom of the pot, but this is normal. Mums love this burnt part.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Nice one
Thanks
True!Dumame is d best thin dat ever happened 2 miyan kuka. U knw beta tin!
Thanks Shatu. Yes it is.
Chei u knw beta tin!True Dumame is d best part of miyan kuka!
Yasss! This recipe took me back to my childhood in Jos. This was one dish I loved…second only to gote. (Hope I spelled that right). My older Berom friends would guzzle ‘burukutu’ after a meal like this. I miss this and Acha. Omg Acha. Well done again.
Thanks Tj. I understand how you feel. I have a gote recipe here.
hey terry,u got a nice pack.pls do u know of any soup preservative?
Thanks Aysha. No I do not know of any preservative per say. I do know that soups hate heat. So your best bet is to keep them in the fridge or freeze.
alryt….tanx.
hi terry! i luv miyan kuka nd dis luks delicious….pls do u have anytin on dried okra soup?
Thanks Aysha. You can find the Miyan Busheshen Kubewa here.
Must go to my neigbours house to eat kuka and tuwo with mai shanu when i vist jos next month. I love ur blog taught me alot.
Or you could make some yourself Yewande. Thanks
Will cook mine when i get the powder. I love u blog always.
Thanks Yewande.
Makes me 2 rememba my mum…
How nice. Hugs
Mouth watering recipes! will definitely give it a try. Thanks.
Thanks Joy.
just tried it this morning and twas something else…. thanks man
Awesome! One of my favorite soups.
thank God i found your blog, cooking with out any info is mixing chemicals and can blow up in ones face. thanks mehn love your blog, really really helpful. can i please get a recipe for ogbono soup here??
Glad to have you here. I do not have a recipe for that yet.
Hello! Where can I get Kuka in lagos?
I have no idea.
Wow, my tribe must be from northern Nigeria I can see a lot of foods similarities here with familiar names.
I’m impressed and overwhelmed with your blog. Your mother has taught you well or you’re naturally gifted.
I try to cook food close to my heart especially food from my childhood, though some of them can be challenging to get right depending where you live.
Africa food ingredients are healthier and more nutritional than some of the foods in the planet.
Thanks for your feedback. Where are you from?
I’m from the northern part of Ghana
Awesome. There must certainly be transfer of cultures between both countries.
I’m trying this tomorrow but not with beef because I don’t have any but my mum sent me some kuka recently and I’ve never prepared it. I’ll give feedback.
I hope it turned out great Carolyn.
I think is a link with my tribe in Ghana and people from kaduna or hauses I will say.
Everything you mentioned in there is typical stable food from people, we’re know as Dagombas
We used hate it was most cook soup in the house especially my grandma place. Dawadawa is a well know as maggi cube for us as northerners in Ghana. Highly nutritious ingredients and I believe every household in my town will have a Dawadawa in their cupboard
I personally don’t cook with any seasoning cubes I don’t think there are necessary especially when you have meat, fish and additional Dawadawa is just too flavours in there and too rich
I also think those seasoning cubes are full concentrated protein and salt which are unhealthy
Dawadawa got it own right of flavour, not to talk of that beautiful smoked dried fish showed there and meat. There is a lot of protein and iron in dawawada
If you’re not sure of the Europe meat, try goat meat instead for the flavour
Thanks for your comment Hadija.
Is mai shanu the same as ghee
No Fatima.