Pepper Soup

Pepper soup is a staple across West Africa, and this version builds a deeply flavored broth from stewing beef, green chili peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, and fresh thyme, all simmered together for an hour until the meat is fall-apart tender and the potatoes have absorbed all those spicy, savory juices.

Everything goes into the pot at once, which makes this one of the most straightforward soups you can make. No browning, no sauteing, no separate steps. The long simmer does all the work, breaking down the beef and melding the chili heat with the tomato richness and herbal thyme notes.

Red-skinned potatoes cooked with their skins on hold their shape during the hour-long simmer while absorbing the spicy broth. Serving it ladled over cooked rice in the bowl is the traditional approach, and the rice soaks up every bit of that peppery, tomato-stained liquid.

Kitchen Tips

• Use lean stewing beef. Fatty cuts will make the broth greasy after an hour of simmering. Trim visible fat before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
• Seed the chili peppers for less heat. The recipe calls for seeded and finely chopped green chilies. Leave some seeds in if you want a serious burn.
• Fish variation: The recipe notes you can substitute fish fillets. Cut them into large pieces and reduce cooking time to 40 minutes so they don’t fall apart.
• Taste and adjust salt at the end. The broth concentrates during cooking, and the tomato paste adds its own salt.

Variations

• Add Scotch bonnet peppers for a more authentically West African heat level. Start with half a pepper and adjust.
• Goat meat version: Traditional pepper soup in Nigeria often uses goat meat. It takes longer to tenderize but the flavor is richer.
• Stir in fresh spinach during the last 5 minutes for added greens and color.