Goat pepper soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg goat meat, bone-in, cut in pieces (with skin, if you like)
• 2 to 3 tbsp pepper soup spice
• 1 or 2 scotch bonnet peppers, blended
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 seasoning cubes
• 1 tbsp ground crayfish (optional)
• About 8 cups water
• A small handful of utazi leaves, thinly sliced, or a few basil leaves
• Salt

Steps

1. Wash the meat

   Rinse the goat meat well in warm water and drain.

2. Steam it in its own juices

   Put the meat in a large pot with the onion, the crumbled cubes, a pinch of salt and half the pepper. Cover and cook on medium for 10 minutes without water, stirring once, so the meat releases its juices and takes the seasoning.

3. Simmer until tender

   Add water to cover the meat by a few centimetres. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 60 to 75 minutes, until the meat is tender. Meat with skin takes longer.

4. Add the spice

   Stir in the pepper soup spice, the crayfish and the rest of the pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes more.

5. Finish with utazi

   Add the utazi, simmer for 2 minutes, then taste for salt and heat. Serve hot, on its own or with boiled yam, plantain or white rice.

Tips

• Utazi is bitter: a little goes a long way.
• Pepper soup spice blends differ in heat and taste. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more at the end.
• A pressure cooker cuts the simmering to about 30 minutes.
• The same method works with catfish or chicken. Fish needs only 10 to 15 minutes.