Miyan Gyada (Groundnut Soup)
Whenever I think of groundnut based Nigerian meals I remember the groundnut pyramids in Kano State. Groundnut used to be a cash crop which was exported to other countries from Northern Nigeria. Locally, it is used to prepare various meals such as kunun Gyada, Suya, Zogale (Moringa) Salad, Kuli Kuli, and of course, Miyan Gyada. Miyan Gyada is one of those northern staples that is easy to make. It is so easy that each household has its own way of preparing this soup, all with similar results. This post showcases a northern way of preparing Miyan Gyada.
INGREDIENTS
(1) 2 Cups Dried Raw Groundnuts (Gyada) (See Note 1)
(2) Beef (Naman Shanu) (See Note 2)
(3) Dried Fish (Busheshen Kifi)
(4) 1 Large Onion (Albasa)
(5) Crayfish
(6) 2 Cooking Spoons Palm Oil (Mai Ja)
(7) 1 Large or 2 Small Tomatoes (See Note 3)
(8) 2 Bell Peppers (Tatashe)
(9) Scotch Bonnet (Atarugu)
(10) 1 Teaspoon Ginger (Optional)
(11) 2 Tablespoons Locust Beans (Dawadawa)
(12) Spinach (Steamed and Chopped (Alehu)
(13) 2 Stock Cubes
(14) Salt to Taste (Gishiri)
NOTES:
(1) You have the option of using unpeeled or peeled raw groundnuts. I have used the unpeeled groundnuts because I theorize that it gives more flavor to the soup.
(2) This is one northern soup where you can use any type of meat you like. Thus chicken can be used. I have used goat meat for this pot.
(3) This is not a tomato based soup. You will need a total of 1 cup of blended tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, scotch bonnet peppers and ginger.
PROCEDURE:
(1) Place the meat in a pot along with half of the onions and season with a stock cube and some salt. Bring meat to a boil and add some water only after the meat has cooked in its natural juices. As I always say, the broth or ruwan nama is the base of your soup. You have to get things right from this point or else your soup would not taste great. Season correctly. Do not use a lot of water and monitor your pot to ensure that the contents do not get burned.
(2) Soak the dried fish in some hot water for about 5 minutes. Clean, take out the bones and tear dried fish into large chunks. 30 minutes before you finish cooking the meat, add the dried fish to the pot and cook along with the meat.
(3) While the meat is cooking, prepare the other ingredients. Blend the tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnets, remaining onions and ginger together with a little water. Reserve a cup of the mixture for the soup.
(4) Toast the groundnuts in a frying pan for about 8 minutes or until you start to perceive its aroma. This will heighten the flavor of the groundnuts. Grind the toasted groundnuts until very smooth. Depending on your method of blending, the result might or might not be a paste. If using a food processor, you will end up with a very thick paste.
(5) Blend the crayfish.
(6) Combine the blended crayfish and groundnut together. Add some of the stock from the boiling meat to the grounded groundnut and crayfish and mix to form a thick paste.
(7) Steam the spinach. Learn how to do this here.
(8) After the meat has cooked, place a dried pot on fire and heat the palm oil. Your aim is to get the oil hot and not to bleach it.
(9) Pour the blended tomato mixture into the hot oil and fry until most of the liquid evaporates.
(10) Add the groundnut paste to the fried tomato mixture and stir fry for some minutes.
(11) Add the remaining meat broth to the pot. Add some water to the mixture if you need to. What you want is a semi-thick paste that looks like cream.
(12) Bring the soup back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium so the soup simmers. Add the dawadawa to the soup along with the cooked meat and dried fish. If you like, you can add some whole pepper to the soup at this point (Northerners will understand this pepper addition). Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. You may or may not need the second stock cube. Cook the soup for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure you get to the bottom of the pot.
(13) Add the steamed spinach to the soup, stir and cook for 5 minutes.
Serve soup hot with your choice of tuwo or pounded yam.
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.
You are doing a wonderful job here keep it up.
Thanks Jerry
Lovely recipe, I will try it , it looks good. Keep up the good work BoSS terry
Thanks Kachi
This is nice Terry so precise am going to try it and let u know how it goes
Thanks Vivian. Do give it a go.
did you dry-fry the peanuts?? and how were you able to avoid them from burning.. cos i used to make use of dry garri to fry them. Nice soup
Yes I did. I did it just for a few minutes, stirring continuously. It wont get burnt that way.
Weldone Terry! I can’t help but think you’re a northerner. Nice one.
Thanks. My mum is a Northerner and I grew up in Kaduna.
Dats my best soup,thumbs up to u
Thanks Gold
Ok thanks for the response…
Trying this asap but i’ll use the oven to roast the groundnuts. Thanks Terry… But what if one wants to use it to eat rice any adjustments?
Yes, the oven would also work. I use this soup to eat rice. No adjustments are needed.
Omg… I just cooked this last night, had no idea you had the recepie on here! The only thing I did different was the palm oil, should I go back and add it?
Ella, I would say no because groundnut already has a lot of oil. Next time though, do add the palm oil.
Thanks so much!
You are welcome
Well done Mr Adido.
Thanks
Nice Job Mr Adido. Reminds me of my Ghanaian neighbors in Nigeria
Thanks
Terry, i just made this today, the only difference between yours and mine was that i used fresh and dried chillies and my own groundnuts blended as powder whilst yours was a paste… Thanks for the recipe.. we want more though
Ah, there are various ways of achieving the same thing. Thanks for experimenting.
Mr Terry, i’m making this today again.. as i’m hooked on the soup but never had time to prepare it, this time i’m serving to the wholwhole family. Wish me luck cos they are difficult to please when it comes to foods they aren’t used to. Up next would be your coconut rice☺
Here is blowing you luck Yinka. You will do great.
i did great as usual.. My dad and brothers all enjoyed the soup with relish and also an older next door neighbour who grew up in the North. Suprisingly she’s not had it since she was a teen.. She was just screaming with glee which means i hit it right. oh and she taught me the pronunciation of the soup… the hausa way///
That’s awesome. Yeah, the miyan gyada recipe is always a hit among my friends. I make it a lot myself.
Wow. Will try dis as soon as this rain stops, good work terry, ur blest
Thanks a lot. I’m having some now as I type.
I tried making and eating this for the first time yesterday and I’m hooked already!
Apparently it’s a northern staple, I stay in the North, wonder what took me so long. I used bitter leaf in place of the spinach and it came out really nice.
I love your blog btw 😀
Thanks Ure. Bitter leaf is quite a pleasant twist. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
A most try for this Sunday lunch.
You should. Its delicious.
Will have mine with rice
That’s a great choice Amaka.
Hi….I didn’t wait for Sunday because having my mum over tomorrow(Saturday). So cooked today. I used ugwu(pumpkin leaves) for mine because I live in Nigeria and it turned out lovely….thanks for sharing
You are welcome Amaka. Glad you loved it.
Nice recipe, I’m certainly going 2 try dis ur method, tanx Terry.
You are welcome Rukkaiyya.
I have this page saved! I just cooked this the 2nd time
Awesome. It is one of my favorites too.