This is a fairly hearty variation on the lighter, more traditional chicken or fish pepper soups. Either serve on its own as a starter, or add some boiled yam (as here) and/or plantain for a delicious main course. Perfect for cold, rainy days. Here I use a combination of commercially available peppersoup mix with some freshly ground spices and fresh herbs for additional fragrance and flavour.
Author:
Cuisine: Nigerian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1kg oxtail (trimmed of excess fat and cut into spoon-sized pieces)
  • 3 onions, about 450g (peeled and quartered)
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, about 8g
  • ½ teaspoon Cameroon pepper (optional)
  • 2L water
  • 150g tomatoes (roughly chopped)
  • 2 spring onions (finely sliced on the diagonal)
  • 2 red bell peppers, about 320g (seeded and quartered)
  • 2 tablespoons peppersoup mix
  • 1 fresh bay leaf (substitute with 2 dried leaves)
  • 50g crayfish (finely ground)
  • *2 teaspoons fresh scent leaf (finely chopped)
  • *1 teaspoon fresh utazi (finely chopped)
  • 3 ehuru seeds (toasted, shelled and finely ground)
  • 1 small piece uyayak
  • 1 gbafilo seed (shelled and finely ground)
  • 2-3 uda pods (toasted, seeded and lightly crushed – these may be removed before serving)
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons good quality palm oil (optional but it adds additional flavour)
Instructions
  1. Place the oxtail and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. In the meantime, liquidise the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and Scotch Bonnet chillies, adding enough water to produce a smooth thin mixture. Add this to the saucepan and season with salt. Reduce the heat to a fast simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, adding more water as required, until the meat is tender.
  3. Add the peppersoup mix, crayfish, half of the ehuru and all of the uyayak, gbalifo and uda. If using dried utazi and efirin, add them at this stage. Simmer for a further 20 minutes.
  4. Just before serving, add the palm oil, spring onion and fresh utazi and/or efirin (if using).
Notes
*Dried leaves may be used but they will need a longer cooking time to allow them to reconstitute. Besides, fresh leaves add a lovely contrast to the redness of the soup.

Will serve 4 as a light meal or 6 as a starter

Variations
- Substitute the oxtail with goat meat
- Add 3-4 chunks of peeled yam and/or plantain per person when the meat is almost tender
Recipe by The Executive Mama Put at http://www.executivemamaput.com/oxtail-pepper-soup/