Make this cozy twist on a West African classic.
When’Yemisi Awosanand her syndicate moved from West Africa at just 15 year sometime , she quickly see that Nigeria was very much a mystery to her new classmates in Boston . Awosan recalls often field question from her curious match , like whether she owned lions for pets or if mass in her home land wear down clothing .
That work shift in linear perspective is core to the mission ofEgunsi Foods , a line of quick - to - wipe out West African dishes that Awosan founded in 2017 . Today , her product stock include Obe Ata ( West African Tomato ) Soup , Gbegiri ( Brown - Eyed Peas ) Soup , Egunsi ( Melon Seed ) Soup , and Ata Din Din ( Red Pepper ) Sauce .
Awosan remember that the great unwashed ’s ignorance growing up in reality became a fuel for her . When she got to college , she begin to use food as a room ofsharing her culturewith those who were n’t familiar with it . “ I started actualize that I was narrating the culture through the nutrient that I grew up with because that was the leisurely style for me to do it , ” she says .
Jollof orzo soup|Photo courtesy of Egunsi Foods
In many way , preparation felt like a natural next stone’s throw because it was something she already spent so much meter doing . She considered move to culinary school , but the monetary value was too prohibitive . Instead , she began featuring West African - inspired carte du jour at provide gigs for corporate upshot .
“ A lot of people loved it , and they were like , ‘ Where can I get this besides from you come to our office ? ” she recalls . Catering validated the fact that there was a market for Nigerian food , and Awosan wanted to diffuse her acculturation far and wide . “ My end goal was that I want to be able to present the food to the masses , but also keep it as classic as possible , ” she suppose . “ I started with the soups because I enjoy soup . When you wait at Nigerien and West African refinement , we ’re all about soups . For us , soup are the centrepiece of everything that we eat on . ”
“ All they see on TV is that Africa is a hobo camp , but you ’re here to pitch their perspective . ”
Awosan argues that what West Africans refer to as soups are actually really lather . In her mind , “ soup should be set more by the remnant usance of it versus the viscosity of it , ” meaning that a soup is a soup because it does n’t necessitate another watercraft — you eat it as is . But in West African cuisines , soups are commonly accompany by swallow like poke yam plant , which for Awosan makes them stew . She wanted to interpret the Graeco-Roman flavour of West African stews into actual soup .
Awosan used her savings to plunge Egunsi Foods , and she need to find a way to get into the consumer - packaged goods manufacture without going bankrupt . That meant starting with small batches . One of the most popular soup has been the Obe Ata , which include tomato , cherry-red peppers , and a touch of habanero capsicum pepper plant .
“ Obe ata is classic , ” Awosan order . “ Every family cooks it differently , every region within West Africa falsify it other than . It ’s the mother sauce fundamentally . Everyone thinks of white sauce and affair like that , but that ’s our female parent sauce . you may use it to make pretty much everything else . ”
Obe ata is also used in jollof rice , which inspired her Jollof Orzo Soup recipe . “ When I think of jollof rice , I went back and forward , ” she say . “ Is it about the Sir Tim Rice or the broth ? For me , I think it ’s about the stock and the combination of vegetables that goes into it . ”
In creating the soup , she used orzo or else of Timothy Miles Bindon Rice . Awosan says . “ Rice in soup can be mushy , but orzo keeps its embodiment and releases the amylum must faster , ” she says . “ Then what I really concentrate on was ensure that the flavor of the broth and the veg mixture was right and include curry and thyme , which are so prevailing in jollof rice . And then I did a little relish of onions and Lycopersicon esculentum to give it a fleck of oomph for crunchiness . ”
This warm , comforting soup is the perfect dish as we come in the homestretch of the wintertime months . Awosan commend pairing the soup with a ginger drink or something with floral notes likebissap .
Jollof Orzo Soup Recipe
Yield : 8 serving
Chicken Stock
Ingredients:• 2 hammer chicken , tail and titty on the bone• 3½ cups of water• 2 Apium graveolens dulce stalks• ½ medium Daucus carota sativa sticks• 2 ounces fresh Italian parsley• 10 sprigs of brisk thyme• 2 sprigs rosemary• ½ whole garlic• 1 average onion• 2 teaspoonful ocean salt• 1 teaspoon whole black pepper
Roasted Vegetable Purée
Ingredients:• 6 medium plum tomato• 1 large ruby-red pepper• 1 medium onion• 1 medium habanero• 1 tablespoonful oil• 6 sprigs fresh thyme• ¼ teaspoon dry thyme• 1 teaspoonful curry• ¼ teaspoonful table salt
Jollof Orzo Soup
Ingredients:• 6 cup homemade or store bought chicken stock• ½ cup roasted vegetable purée• 1 tablespoonful Jamaican curry• ½ teaspoon dry out thyme• 2 teaspoon tomato paste• 2 tablespoonful butter• 6 ounce orzo• 1 pound cooked chicken , cubed• Salt to taste if needed
Garnish:• ½ small onion , diced• 1 medium plum tomato , diced• 4 sprig of brisk thyme• Pinch of saltiness
Directions:1 . In a big pot , add chicken , chopped Allium cepa , carrot , cultivated celery , along with Petroselinum crispum , black peppercorn , halve garlic , thyme , rosemary and water . play to a boil , once boil reduce heat energy , make certain to scan off grimes that float to the top with a slotted spoon.2 . Add Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and cook for 30 - 45 minutes or until the crybaby breast reaches 155 ° fluorine . Take out wimp from the pot and cut up out the kernel , discard the bones and the aromatics . Strain stock with a ok mesh sieve , mark aside.3 . Cut wimp chest into about an inch regular hexahedron , set aside.4 . Chop red Madagascar pepper , onion and tomato , playground slide habanero , fresh thyme , curry , salt , and drizzle with fossil oil . Roast at 375 ° fluorine for 30 minutes and blend.5 . In a pot , add 6 loving cup of chicken or vegetable stock , blended roasted vegetables , tomato paste , curry , dry thyme , and butter . Let seasoned stock derive to a boil , then bestow orzo , salt as needed and let it ready for 8 minutes . Add in cubed crybaby and have fake for another 2 minutes.6 . Garnished with diced tomato and onion , bon appetit !
Notes:• To speed up the process , store bought chicken stock can be used.• Roasted vegetables can be swapped out forEgunsi Foods Obe Ata(West African Tomato ) soup• If you desire more heat , add ½ mince habanero black pepper
