Groundnut soup — miyan gyada in Hausa — is one of the defining dishes of northern Nigerian cooking and one of the great peanut-based stews of West Africa. Ground roasted peanuts dissolve into a rich, slightly thick broth of red palm oil, tomatoes, onion, and scotch bonnet pepper, with bone-in chicken or goat providing both protein and the collagen that gives the soup its body. Served with tuwo shinkafa (rice flour swallow) or fufu, it is the kind of dish that improves over two days as the peanut fat and palm oil emulsify fully into the broth.
Red Palm Oil
Red palm oil — unrefined palm oil pressed from the flesh of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) — is the ancestral fat of West African cooking. Its deep orange-red colour comes from carotenoids, the same pigments in carrots and sweet potatoes. The flavour is distinctive: rich, slightly earthy, with a background sweetness that no substitute replicates. It is not palm kernel oil (which is pressed from the seed, not the flesh) and is not refined palm oil (which has been bleached, deodorised, and stripped of its colour and nutrients). For groundnut soup, use unrefined red palm oil.
The Peanut Base
The peanuts must be raw, then roasted — either in a dry pan or in the oven — before grinding. Pre-roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted snack peanuts) are a shortcut but lack the depth of freshly roasted. The grinding should produce a smooth, dry paste. In Nigeria this is done in an electric blender or a traditional grinding stone. A food processor works.
Serves 4 · Prep 20 min · Cook 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1kg bone-in chicken pieces or goat meat
- 200g raw peanuts, dry-roasted and ground to a paste
- 3 tbsp red palm oil
- 2 medium tomatoes, blended
- 1 onion, half blended with tomatoes, half sliced
- 1-2 scotch bonnet peppers, blended
- 500ml chicken stock or water
- 2 Maggi cubes or 1 tsp bouillon powder
- Salt to taste
Method
- Season meat with salt. Heat palm oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Brown meat in palm oil on all sides, 8 minutes. Remove.
- In the same pot, cook blended tomato, onion, and scotch bonnet 10 minutes until the oil rises to the top.
- Add ground peanut paste. Stir into the tomato base.
- Add stock gradually, stirring to prevent lumps. Add meat back.
- Simmer 35-40 minutes until meat is tender and the soup has thickened.
- Season with bouillon and salt. Serve with rice, swallow, or crusty bread.
Mafé vs Groundnut Soup
The Senegalese mafé and the Nigerian groundnut soup are cousins — both built on ground peanuts and tomatoes. The mafé uses less scotch bonnet, often includes root vegetables, and is simmered in groundnut oil rather than palm oil. The Nigerian version is hotter, more intensely flavoured from the palm oil, and typically thicker. Both are exceptional.
Can I use peanut butter instead of ground raw peanuts?
Smooth, unsalted peanut butter (no added sugar) works as a shortcut. Use 4 tablespoons. The flavour will be slightly less complex than freshly ground roasted peanuts.
What is scotch bonnet?
A very hot Caribbean and West African chilli with a fruity, floral heat. Habanero is the closest substitute. Start with one and adjust.
How long does it keep?
Groundnut soup keeps refrigerated for 4 days and freezes for 3 months. The flavour develops over 24 hours.
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