Soupou Gertö - Main course

Soupou Gertö
Preparation time : 30 min
Cooking time : 1 hr
Location : Fouta Djallon
Vegetarian : No
Difficulty : Very easy
With : Poultry, Rice, Tuber, Vegetables
Cost : Inexpensive
Cooking method : Hobs / Fire

This the traditional meal in Fouta!! Made with farm chickens running in all compounds and sweet potatoes in virtually most remote villages. The meal is very easy to do. The art lies in the cooking time and stages.

Ingredients (For 6-8 people)

  • 1 Free range chicken 1 .5kg

  • 3 to 4 fresh tomatoes (or 1 tin of pealed tomatoes)

  • 50g of tomatoes puree

  • 2 big onions

  • 1 bunch of spring onions

  • 500 g sweet potatoes (or patatoes)

  • 2 eggplants or 500g squash

  • 3-4 Maggi cubes

  • Half a lemon

  • 6 gloves of garlic

  • 3 bay leafs

  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)

  • Salt, black pepper & chilli powder (according to taste) -1 glass peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

Preparation

  • Cut and season the chicken with the lemon juice, salt, pepper and chilli powder.

    Marinate for at least 15 min.

  • Brown the chicken.

  • Wash the spring onions and chop them big slices.

    Peel onions and garlic. Mix together the tomatoes, garlic, onions, spring onions with salt, maggi cubes and black pepper.

    Traditionally the mortar pestles are used …now a day food processor will do the job and it’s much quicker.

  • Once chicken are brown and cooked, pour the mixture in the pot adding the tomatoes puree.

  • Simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes at least.

    This step in important for the taste of your sauce.

  • Meanwhile,

    Peel the sweet potatoes and squash

    Wash them and cut in  big chunks.

    Add them on the stock pot, once the chicked is brown

  • Add half litre of water and the bay leaf.

    Add salt and pepper to your taste.

    If you like hot chilli, add a whole scotch bonnet chilli pepper.

  • The sauce is ready once the vegetables are all cooked

  • Serve with  rice mixed with fresh okra.

    Enjoy!

    Tips and Tricks

    For your choice of vegetables you can choose to have potatoes (instead of sweet potatoes), eggplants, green beans, kassava, taro, carrots, cabbage etc.…