Having a small farm of my own has helped in several rewarding ways. I love the fact that I get to grow most of my food and this has helped me appreciate farmers even more. One of the plants I grow on the farm is moringa. After learning about the health benefits which I documented here, I decided to grow my very own moringa tree. Apart from the leaves being used in preparing the popular zogale tea for weight loss, it is also used to make salads and soups. One of the soups it’s used for is miyan zogale, a tasty Nigerian soup that originates from the Northern part of the country. It’s a groundnut-based soup prepared with moringa leaves locally known as Zogale in Hausa language, gyada “roasted groundnuts”, peppers, tomatoes, and a host of other ingredients.
How to make miyan zogale
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: Over an hour
• Region: Northern Nigeria
• Misc: Serve hot
Step 1: Pick and wash the Zogale leaves, drain off any excess water and place the leaves in a pot with ½ litre of water and Kaun. Boil for about 5-8 minutes and drain off the water and set aside.
p.s: I sincerely don’t know the reason why zogale is boiled with Kaun because left to me i’d rather rinse the leaves with salt water to retain the wonderful nutrients and skip the kaun due to the adverse effects.
Step 2: Cut up the tomatoes and onion into small pieces but grind the pepper – set aside
Step 3: Roast the groundnut slightly for about 5 minutes using an empty frying pan without oil. Fry for about 10 minutes while stirring constantly. Allow cooling then peel off the skin and grind in a blender to a smooth paste – set aside
Step 4: Wash the meat thoroughly, Place in a pot season with a tablespoon of salt and add some slices of onions. Steam for 10 minutes till the meat gives off it’s juice. Add 2 cups of water, Leave to cook for at least 15 minutes or until it is tender. Wash and de-bone the fish, add into the stock and cook for 5 minutes before turning off the burner.
Step 5: In an empty pot, heat up the palmoil for about 2 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, onions and the ground pepper, stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add the groundnut paste into the pot.
Rinse the blender cup with a little water and pour it into the pot. Add the meat with the stock, ground dawadawa, crushed seasoning, and yaji, stir and allow to boil for about 15minutes. Add the Zogale leaves and leave to simmer for 3 mins before turning off the burner. Serve with Tuwo shinkafa, tuwo masara, Burabisko or any form of “swallow“.
Miyan Zogale - Moringa Soup
Ingredients
- • ½ kg Meat
- • 1 medium-sized dried fish
- • 2 Large bunch Zogale "Moringa leaves"
- • 3 Large size fresh tomatoes
- • 3 medium-sized fresh pepper
- • 1 medium size Onion
- • 1 tbsp. Yaji
- • ½ cup Gyada "Groundnut" (Raw Shelled)
- • 1 tsp. Kaun "potash"
- • 1½ litres Water
- • ½ flat Daddawa "Dawadawa"
- • 2 cooking spoon palm oil
- • 3 seasoning cubes
- • Salt to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Pick and wash the Zogale leaves, drain off any excess water and place the leaves in a pot with ½ liter of water and Kaun. Kaun is used in softening it but you can skip using it. Boil for about 5-8 minutes and drain off the water and set aside.
Step 2: Cut up the tomatoes and onion into small pieces but grind the pepper - set aside
Step 3: Roast the groundnut slightly for about 5 minutes using an empty frying pan without oil. Fry for about 10 minutes while stirring constantly. Allow cooling then peel off the skin and grind in a blender to a smooth paste - set aside
Step 4: Wash the meat thoroughly, Place in a pot season with a tablespoon of salt and add some slices of onions. Steam for 10 minutes till the meat gives off its juice. Add 2 cups of water, Leave to cook for at least 15 minutes or until it is tender. Wash and de-bone the fish, add to the stock, and cook for 5 minutes before turning off the burner.
Step 5: In an empty pot, heat up the palm oil for about 2 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, onions, ground pepper, and stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add the groundnut paste into the pot. Rinse the blender cup with a little water and pour it into the pot. Add the meat with the stock, ground Dawa Dawa, crushed seasoning, and yaji, stir and allow to boil for about 15 minutes.
Step 6: Add the Zogale leaves and leave to simmer for 3 mins before turning off the burner. Serve with Tuwo shinkafa, tuwo masara, Burabisko or any form of "swallow".
