Brothy, hearty soup made up of tender chunks of meat. The broth in this Cameroonian Pepper Soup is so flavorful, you will want to keep drinking it! The soup is really flavorful with a little kick but not spicy! If you want it spicy, blend the habanero or scotch bonnet peppers with the other ingredients.
Rinse all the meats and add to a large pot. Add enough water to the pot to completely cover the meats.
Place the pot on high heat and cover it with the lid tilted on one side to prevent boiling over. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 10 minutes. Skim the scum off the top of the meats.
As the meat boils, combine the onion (cut into chunks), garlic, ginger, basil, parsley, celery, and njangsa. Add enough water to blend into a paste and blend everything into a smooth paste. If you want the soup spicy, blend all the ingredients together with a habanero pepper.
Add the seasoning blend to the meats, then add the salt and chicken bouillon powder, and the full habanero peppers. Let it simmer together until the meats are all tender. It takes about an hour. After 30 minutes, remove the habanero peppers so they don't burst into the soup.
Taste the broth and adjust the salt as needed. Add the ground white pepper and stir to combine. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes with the white pepper.
Garnish with chopped basil or parsley if desired.
Serve pepper soup hot with boiled plantains (semi-ripe or unripe), boiled African white yam or rice.
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Notes
Meats: You could use different cuts of meat in this protein or only one kind of meat. Try making this with just chuck roast (will cook longer) or with beef short ribs. Meats with bone add more flavor to the soup.Different Protein: You could make pepper soup with chicken or fish as well. Cooking times will vary, depending on the protein used. Fish cooks a lot faster.Njangsa replacement: Sorry I don't know of a replacement for Njangsa. You could try getting it on Amazon or search for an African store near you. If you can't find it, you could definitely make pepper soup without njangsa. It will still be delicious!Spices: Add other herbs and spices like thyme, bay leaves, cumin, or cloves.