Would you love to take your taste buds on a wild ride to Cameroon? One of my favorite Cameroonian dishes is Achu Soup, also known as Yellow Soup, which combines well with Achu (cocoyam fufu).
It’s a deliciously warm and comforting dish that’ll satisfy your cravings, and I’ve got just the perfect Achu Soup recipe that’ll knock your socks off.
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The Soup, also known as “Ndza Nikki,” and in French, “Sauce Jaune,” is a staple food in the North West region of Cameroon. It’s a specialty of the Bamenda people and the Bamilekes.
Known as the “Food for Kings”, it’s prepared for visiting traditional Cameroonian rulers (Chiefs). So rejoice, with this dish, you’re in for a royal treat.
But before we get to the cooking part, let’s talk about ingredients. To make this mouth-watering dish, you’ll need some key Achu soup ingredients:
- Kanwa (limestone)
- Palm oil
- Achu soup spices
Achu soup spice is the secret ingredient that gives the soup its remarkable taste and unique mouth-watering flavor, which is a blend of different indigenous Cameroon spices. And of course, you can’t forget the cocoyams (taro) for the Achu.
I know some of these ingredients might be hard to find if you live abroad, especially the achu soup spices. But don’t worry, you can find them in Asian, Indian, and African (precisely Cameroonian-owned) grocery stores. And in the absence of Kanwa, baking soda is a perfect substitute.
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Preparation
Now that you’ve got all your ingredients ready, the first step in my Achu soup recipe is to make an emulsion of the palm oil, Kanwa, and Achu soup spices with your meat stock. This will form a glorious yellow uniform solution, Achu Soup.
Initially, our mothers used to go through the laborious process of manual mixing. Thank God for blenders, which help bypass all the stress within minutes.
Once you’re done with the soup, next is the Achu, a dough made from pounded cocoyam (Achu fufu).
Some people prefer using a traditional pestle and mortar. But I like to take the easy route and use a food processor, which I recommend if you’d love to save time. Whichever method you choose, ensure the dough gets a smooth consistency and has no lumps.
Well, now that you know the basics of how to make Achu Soup, let’s give this Cameroonian delicacy a try and get cooking.
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You can buy spices on Amazon.
Savor the Flavors of Cameroon: The Authentic Cameroon Achu Soup Recipe
Ingredients
To make Achu soup, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 3 pounds boiled meat/fish of your choice (a blend of beef, beef skin (canda), beef tripe (towel), smoked/fried fish
- 4 cups meat broth from boiled meat
- 1 Cup hot Palm oil
- Thumb size Kanwa (LimeStone) / 1 tablespoon Baking soda
- 2 tablespoons Achu soup spices
- 2-4 Seasoning cubes
- 2 Scotch bonnet hot peppers
- Salt and pepper to taste
And for the Achu:
- 4 pounds small cocoyams (taro
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Instructions
How to Make Achu
- Wash cocoyams and place them in a pot without removing the skin.
- Boil until the cocoyams are soft and the skin comes off easily.
- While they’re still warm, peel and process to a paste in a food processor or pound with a mortar and pestle. You’ll achieve a perfect texture with smooth consistency.
- When it’s all processed, place your nicely boiled cocoyams into a serving bowl and serve with your Achu Soup.
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How to Make Achu Soup (Yellow Soup)
- Wash your meat, pour it into a pot, season until it’s tasty enough, and boil. Use a pressure cooker to quicken the cooking time and tenderize the meat.
- Once the meat is ready, pour out the beef stock into a separate pot.
- Pour 1 cup palm oil into a frying pan and heat for about 1 minute. Don’t bleach it. Alternatively, you can put your palm oil jar in a microwave and heat it for some minutes to avoid bleaching.
- Take 4 cups of meat stock and pour into a blender. Add the palm oil, Kanwa, and Achu soup spices and pulse until it’s uniform and yellowish.
- Taste to ensure that the seasoning is cooked to perfection. You can add a little salt and seasoning if needed.
- Pour the soup into your pot of meat.
- Serve with your Achu!
One of the most exciting things about Achu Soup is how it’s presented and enjoyed. When serving, mold the Achu (pounded cocoyam mound) into a cone with a large hollow in the center.
Then pour the steaming hot Achu Soup in the center, creating a visually stunning and delicious dish that’s sure to impress.
Eating it is even more fun. Simply wash your hands, scoop some Achu by moving your index finger around the Achu fufu, dip it into the Achu Soup, and enjoy. For this reason, the Achu dish is called “One Finger Around the World.” Ha!
The Achu delicate soup is a Cameroonian delicacy that’ll satisfy your cravings for something savory and exotic. Give it a try and let your taste buds travel to Cameroon with every spoonful. Bon appétit!
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