By Sue Bedford (MSc Nutritional Therapy)
African pepper soup is a nutritious intensely flavoured soup that is served throughout West Africa, especially in Nigeria, Cameroon and other neighbouring African countries. Soups and stews are a significant component of African cuisine and this one is comforting, hearty and spicy at the same time. Pepper soup has been consumed for its medicinal value for centuries in Africa.
Why not try making this for a nutritious and delicious ‘Saturday Supper’?
Pepper Soup is mostly liquid, usually served hot and made with your choice of meat, fish or chicken. It is often enjoyed with potatoes, yam, rice, or just eaten as it is. Nutritionally, this soup is fantastic, containing a good variety of nutrients that are important for general health and also fertility, including beta carotene, zinc, protein, manganese, folate, and Vitamins: B1, B2, C and E. The onions and garlic in this soup provide important vitamins and are also prebiotics – so feed the ‘good’ bacteria in the gut. They also help to support the immune system. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and lycopene – both important to fertility and yams and sweet potatoes provide a good amount of fibre and potassium. Both yams and sweet potatoes also provide a good amount of selenium, iron, magnesium and zinc along with beta-carotene (sweet potatoes provide more of the latter than yams). Besides being an excellent source of protein and B vitamins, chicken also contains a special amino acid, L-carnitine, which is necessary for sperm cells to function normally. L-carnitine has been linked in studies to assisting in normalizing sperm motility, which is a crucial component to male fertility
African Chicken pepper soup
Ingredients
•1.4 litres water
• 8 boneless chicken thighs
•2 onions
•1 can plum tomatoes or 8 large ripe tomatoes
•1 clove garlic
•2 tablespoons Pepper Soup seasoning (or fresh spices if you are able to obtain such as Negro Pepper and African nutmeg)
•2 yam or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
•1 bay leaf
•2 tablespoons fresh or dried crayfish
•1 tablespoon salt
•Lime juice
•1 Fresh Chilli
How to make:
Slice the onion thinly and line the bottom of a casserole pot with half of the onion. Lay the chicken thighs on top of the onion pieces and cover with the remaining half an onion. Sprinkle the pepper soup seasoning over the chicken and onions. Scatter in the sweet potatoes or yam, pour in water, add a bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to cook 20 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken, cut into small pieces and return to the casserole pot. Take the remaining onion and slice it and crush the clove of garlic. Blend the onion and garlic along with the tomatoes until smooth. Add the pureed vegetable mixture to the soup. Stir in the dried crayfish and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes—season to taste. Squeeze the lime juice over with a few slices of fresh chilli. Enjoy!
The post Fertility Friendly Saturday Supper-African Chicken Pepper Soup appeared first on IVF Babble.
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