Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)


Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)

Miyan Taushe is a Pumpkin soup popular among the Hausas in Nigeria (Northern parts of Nigeria). It is prepared with ripe pumpkin meat and enjoyed by both young and old.
There are different species of Pumpkin, but the Gourd type is very common in Nigeria, nevertheless, feel free to make use of any specie you can get as long as it is ripe.  

This recipe was provided by my good Hausa friend (Zuweratu Usman) and seconded by one of my subscribers (Isa). 
Both women introduced me to the tasty and ”almost unexplored” dishes of the North.

Miyan Taushe has a ”sweet taste” and is also quite easy to prepare and according to Isa, each home has their special method of preparation.  Here’s how to prepare it.
++Below is a video recipe ++


 

Ingredients for Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)
This recipe is for 10 servings

– 1 small sized ripe Pumpkin(about 250 grams)
– 1 kilo Meat of Choice(beef, cowfeet, goat meat, soft cow bones, chicken, tripe(shaki), oxtail)
– 1 medium Dried or Smoked Fish
–  1 small bunch Yakwa(yakuwa)(sorrel leaves)(use spinach or ugwu as a substitute)
– 1 medium Tomatoes
– 1 or 2 Fresh Pepper
– 1 Tatashe (red bell pepper)
– 1 Onion bulb
– 150gram(1 cup) Groundnut (either roasted or raw)
–  Half cup Crayfish
– 2 tablespoon ground Locust Beans OR about 100g fresh Locust beans(ogiri, iru or dawadawa)
– 1 to 2 Cooking spoon Palm Oil or Vegetable oil
– 1 to 2 seasoning cubes/Stock cubes (to taste)
– Salt to taste

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Notes: Yakwa(yakuwa/sorrel leaf) is the main leaf used for this recipe because it’s tangy taste contrast well with the sweet taste of the soup.

Preparation

First prepare all the ingredients for the soup:

– Wash and cut the pumpkin, peel of the outer skin, scrape out the hairy pulp and the seeds. Then cut the pumpkin meat into small chunks
(don’t throw away the seeds, it can be toasted and eating as a snack).

– Clean the dried fish with hot water, remove the bones and set aside

– Wash and chop the vegetables and set aside

Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)


– If you bought fresh groundnuts and would love to roast it, place in a dry pan and stir gently with a wooden spoon , on low heat, until you can smell the aroma of roasted groundnut.
Blend the groundnut and crayfish together to get a smooth thick paste .Dissolve with a little water or meat stock and set aside.

Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)


– If using dried locust beans(ogiri, iru or dawadawa), grind it and set aside

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– Blend the tomatoes, fresh pepper, tatashe and onions, then pour into a pot to dry out excess water in the blended paste and set aside.

Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)


Now to cook the Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)

1. Place the meat into a pot along with the pumpkin chunks, season with onions, 1 stock cube and a little salt. Leave to boil in it’s own juice for 5 minutes, then add a little water and cook until the meat is tender.
 Mash the softened pumpkin coarsely in the meat pot.
2. Then add the dissolved groundnut paste into the meat pot; add the
tomato-pepper paste, the cleaned dried fish, and the palm oil  and mix thoroughly.


3.  Also, add the locust beans(dawadawa, ogiri or iru), taste for salt and seasoning and add if necessary.
Mix thoroughly and  leave to boil for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning at the bottom.
Note: If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water to lighten the soup, but it shouldn’t be watery.

4. Finally add the chopped vegetables, simmer for 3 to 5 minutes and put off the heat. Stir well and serve hot with Rice mosa, Tuwon shinkafa , Tuwon masara, Sinasir, Pounded yam or any other swallow or fufu recipe.

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Note: the soup will thicken as it cools.
 I found the soup kinda ”sweet” but the kids loved it and asked for more

Enjoy and send us your feedback.

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12 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    February 7, 2017 / 7:09 pm

    It is best eaten with burabisko, and is one of our local dishes here in Maiduguri. A mixture of spinach and sorrel leaves gives a beautiful taste.

  2. Marie_scarlett
    March 9, 2016 / 10:24 am

    Miyan Taushe is best eaten with waina (similar to masa but with little or no sugar) in fact i think it is the official soup for waina, which is my favourite hausa food.. Please put up a recipe and introduce the world to one of our Northern delicacies..

    • Mustapha Badamasi
      September 7, 2018 / 12:19 pm

      Very correct, without Miyan taushe you have no waina dish

  3. Anonymous
    November 23, 2015 / 10:54 am

    Excellent one, like in Katsina some time we do mixed the sorrel leaf with Spinach leaves ( Alayyafu) because this is one my favorite in every Friday.Even last weekend on my way from Jos to Abuja I bought pumpkin Thanks alot and May Allah guide you

  4. Anonymous
    December 30, 2014 / 7:03 am

    Good job. Please where can I get the pumpkin and sorrel leaf? I live in lagos. Funsho(Mrs)

    • Nky Lily Lete
      January 4, 2015 / 12:04 pm

      Thanks, you can get it at the big food markets, like tejuosho, mile12 and idumota.

  5. Maimu
    October 29, 2014 / 12:06 pm

    We also add sour tamarind paste or juice to help reduce the sweetness, but it is optional.Well done Madam, hope to see more northern recipes.

    • Nky Lily Lete
      October 30, 2014 / 5:19 am

      Thanks for the extra tip Maimu, and I promise to post more Northern recipes 🙂

  6. Anonymous
    October 29, 2014 / 11:49 am

    Wow Nky, Where did you get yakuwa. I live in the United states and would like to try it here. After Miyan Gyada, it is my favorite soup as a child, when we were living in Kano.Does it have an english name?

    • Nky Lily Lete
      October 30, 2014 / 5:21 am

      Hi dear, if you are in the states, then it's easier to get there. It's available in the market as sorrel leaves. There are different types, but I'm sure you'll know it when you see it 🙂

  7. Aminu
    October 29, 2014 / 11:11 am

    I have been vexing for you since oo, because I didnt see my peoples soup, but after today, you are now my best friend. Allah bless you Madam 😀

    • Nky Lily Lete
      October 29, 2014 / 11:35 am

      Haba Aminu, no vex for me ooo, I promise to bring more hausa recipes, you know some hausa ingredients are hard to get in Europe :), pls bear with me.