Tanzanian Curried Chicken-Banana Soup

1Steve's Note:

Spicy, sweet, aromatic, and succulent all at once.This is a wonderful soup, reflective of the hot African sun of its origin.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 (3 lb) chicken , cut into pieces
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon dried red chili pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 large tomato , peeled and chopped
• 1 cup coconut , grated (DON'T USE SWEETENED!)
• 2 ripe bananas

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, brown the chicken pieces in the oil.
2. Remove chicken, reserving, and add the onion and garlic to the pot.
3. Sauté until soft, then stir in the powdered chile, the curry, and the black pepper and fry for 2 more minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, stock, chicken pieces, and coconut, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. When the chicken is done, remove, let cool, then strip away the meat and cut it into bite-sized chunks, discarding the skin and bones.
6. Add it back into the pot with the banana chunks.
7. Simmer 10 minutes.
8. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls.

Reviews

[Da Huz]

This was delicious! We followed the recipe except that we doubled the banana and used canned diced tomatoes. Good blend of spices, flavorful but not overpowering. We will definitely make this again!

[SplitPea]

We hosted an African dinner last night and had this soup as a starter. Everybody loved it: it is sweet and spicy, the chicken adds a little substance to it and the tomatos are just lovely. Will definitely make it again - a larger portion next time!

[rikkimike]

I love this soup! My only advice is, if you are using dried coconut, only use half the amount (or even less), otherwise the soup will be too rich. Great recipe