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Main course · West African

Banga Soup (Niger Delta Palm Nut Soup) with Hake and Prawns

50 min Serves 4 ~912 kcal/serving ~£16.00 (£4.00/serving) Contains-nutsDairy-freeGluten-freePescatarian

Dietary and allergen labels, nutrition and cost are worked out automatically from each recipe’s ingredients and are a guide only. Check the labels on what you buy yourself — especially for allergies or coeliac disease. More about recipe labels.

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Ingredients

  • 400 g tinned palm nut concentrate
  • 500 g hake fillets
  • 200 g raw king prawns, peeled
  • 1 onion
  • 2 scotch bonnet chilli
  • 2 tbsp dried shrimp
  • 500 ml fish stock
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 15 g fresh basil
  • 300 g long-grain rice

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories
912 kcal
Protein
42.2 g
Carbohydrate
72.6 g
of which sugars
5.7 g
Fat
49 g
of which saturates
22.9 g
Fibre
4.8 g
Salt
2.83 g

Estimated from typical values for each ingredient — a guide, not a substitute for the label on what you actually buy.

Method

  1. 1

    Put the palm nut concentrate in a large pan with the fish stock and 300ml water, stir until smooth and bring to the boil. If you cannot find it, whisk 150ml red palm oil with 200ml coconut cream instead.

  2. 2

    Add the chopped onion, the finely chopped scotch bonnets, the dried shrimp ground to a powder (it replaces crayfish) and the nutmeg, which stands in for the traditional banga spices. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the soup thickens and the red oil rises.

  3. 3

    Meanwhile, rinse the rice and simmer it in 600ml lightly salted water, covered, for 12-15 minutes until tender.

  4. 4

    Cut the hake into large chunks, add to the soup and poach gently for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes more until they are pink and the fish is opaque all the way through.

  5. 5

    Season with salt, tear in the basil (the swap for dried banga leaves) and simmer for 1 minute.

  6. 6

    Serve the banga straight away with the rice (or starch or eba if you have them), and cool any leftover rice quickly.

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