Nigerian · soup

Miyan Kuka (Baobab Leaf Soup)

Name: Miyan Kuka (Baobab Leaf Soup)
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried baobab leaves (kuka powder); 3 tbsp palm oil; 1 lb beef; 2 tbsp ground dawadawa (locust beans); 2 tbsp ground crayfish; 3 scotch bonnets; 1 onion; 2 seasoning cubes; salt to taste

Miyan Kuka (Baobab Leaf Soup) reads umami 7.1, fruity 5.0 and richness 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Nigerian soup, about 1 hr 45 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 6.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.6 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.1 · Fruity 5.0 · Richness 4.9 · Sweetness 4.7 · Heat 4.1 · Funk & Ferment 4.0 · Salinity 3.8 · Marine & Briny 3.2 · Allium 3.1 · Earthy 1.9 · Floral 1.7 · Sourness 1.6 · Bitterness 1.1 · Herbaceous 1.0 · Nutty 1.0

What's in it (9)

1/2 cup dried baobab leaves (kuka powder)
3 tbsp palm oil
1 lb beef
2 tbsp ground dawadawa (locust beans)
2 tbsp ground crayfish
3 scotch bonnets
1 onion
2 seasoning cubes
salt to taste

Time & effort: about 1 hr 45 min (45 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 145.1 kcal, 11.4 g protein, 5.4 g fat, 13.5 g carbs

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

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Fry onion in oil, then add cooked meat, ground crayfish, dawadawa, and blended peppers and simmer.
Whisk kuka powder with water into a smooth slurry and pour into the simmering pot.
Stir constantly and cook on medium heat until the soup is smooth, very thick, and a rich khaki-green color.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Prahok Ktis (Minced Pork and Coconut Dip with Fermented Fish) — Cambodian
Ceebu Jën (Thieboudienne) — Senegalese
Hallaca Caraqueña — Venezuelan
Chorizo A La Sidra Recipe — Spanish
Bicol Express (Pork Belly and Long Chillies in Coconut Milk) — Filipino

Keep reading: what umami, fruity, richness 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.