Ghanaian · soup

Abenkwan (Palm Nut Soup)

Name: Abenkwan (Palm Nut Soup)
Prep time: 2 h 12 min
Total time: 2 h 12 min
Cuisine: Ghanaian
Ingredients: tinned palm fruit concentrate — 800 g; goat meat — 700 g; smoked herring — 250 g; oyster mushrooms — 200 g; onion — 180 g; tomatoes — 300 g; scotch bonnet chillies — 200 g; water — 1400 g; crayfish — 15 g; garden eggs — 600 g; salt — 10 g; dried aidan fruit pods — 200 g

Abenkwan (Palm Nut Soup) reads umami 6.1, richness 5.6 and salinity 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ghanaian soup, about 2 hr 12 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.9 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 4.3 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.1 · Richness 5.6 · Salinity 4.0 · Heat 3.8 · Smoke 3.7 · Marine & Briny 3.2 · Allium 2.8 · Earthy 2.7 · Warm Spice 2.5 · Fruity 2.3 · Sourness 1.7 · Sweetness 1.7 · Bitterness 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.0 · Floral 1.0 · Funk & Ferment 0.5

What's in it (12)

tinned palm fruit concentrate — 800 g
goat meat — 700 g
smoked herring — 250 g
oyster mushrooms — 200 g
onion — 180 g
tomatoes — 300 g
scotch bonnet chillies — 200 g
water — 1400 g
crayfish — 15 g
garden eggs — 600 g
salt — 10 g
dried aidan fruit pods — 200 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 12 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 20.3 kcal, 3.2 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 0.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

Put the goat, the chopped onion, the salt and 400 ml of the water in a heavy pot, cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes, until the meat is nearly tender.
Whisk the palm fruit concentrate with 800 ml of the water in a bowl until it is smooth and the colour of terracotta, about 3 minutes, then pour it into the pot with the cracked prekese pods.
Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. A bright orange oil will separate and float on top; skim off about half of it or the finished soup will be heavy and greasy.
Blend the tomatoes, the whole onion half and the chillies and add them with the last 200 ml of water. Simmer 20 minutes.
Add the smoked herring, the mushrooms, the garden eggs and the crayfish and simmer 20 minutes more, until the garden eggs are soft and the soup has thickened to the consistency of single cream.
Fish out the garden eggs, mash them and return them to the pot. Take out the prekese pods before serving. Serve with fufu or omo tuo.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Sauce Graine (Palm Nut Sauce with Beef and Crab) — Ivorian
Pondu (Saka-Saka) — Congolese
One-Pot Jambalaya — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Yam Porridge (Asaro) — Nigerian
Jambalaya — Cajun/Creole

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.