Delta-Style Starch with Palm Fruit Soup

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This iconic Delta State dish pairs a richly flavored palm fruit soup with a smooth, glossy cassava starch swallow. The soup gets its signature deep-orange hue and faintly fruity aroma from freshly boiled palm fruits that are pounded and rinsed to extract their buttery pulp. It is traditionally eaten by hand, dipping balls of the soft starch into the steaming, peppery soup.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 640 kcalCalories
• 34 gFat
• 13 gSaturated Fat
• 52 gCarbs
• 5 gFiber
• 3 gSugar
• 30 gProtein
• 780 mgSodium
• 820 mgPotassium
• 105 mgCalcium
• 5.2 mgIron
• 22 mgVitamin C
• 140 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the Palm Fruit Soup

• 4 cups fresh palm fruits (banga), washed
• 500 g assorted meats (beef, tripe, cow foot), cleaned and cut
• 1 smoked mackerel or smoked catfish, deboned
• 3 tablespoons dried crayfish, ground
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers, blended
• 3 tablespoons palm oil
• 2 teaspoons ground Cameroon pepper or dry pepper
• 1 tablespoon fermented seed paste (ogiri or iru), optional
• 2 cups chopped pumpkin leaves (ugu) or bitter leaf
• 2 seasoning cubes, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste

For the Cassava Starch

• 2 cups fine cassava starch
• 4 cups cold water, plus more for soaking
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place the cleaned assorted meats in a large pot, add the sliced onion, 1 seasoning cube, and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 35-40 minutes until the tripe and cow foot are tender; top up with water as needed.
2. Meanwhile, place the palm fruits in a separate pot, cover with water, and boil for 25-30 minutes until very soft. Drain, transfer to a mortar, and pound gently until the pulp loosens from the nuts. Rinse the pounded fruits in warm water, squeezing to release the rich orange juice; strain out the nut shells and reserve about 3 cups of the palm-fruit liquid.
3. Pour the palm-fruit liquid into the pot with the cooked meats. Add the smoked fish, blended scotch bonnet, ground crayfish, palm oil, pepper, and ogiri if using. Stir well and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes so the flavors meld and the soup thickens slightly.
4. Season the soup with salt and the remaining seasoning cube, then add the chopped greens and simmer 3-4 minutes more. Taste and adjust the pepper or salt before turning off the heat.
5. For the starch, soak the cassava starch in 3 cups of cold water for 10 minutes. Pour off the cloudy water, add fresh cold water, and whisk briskly until the starch dissolves completely with no lumps; it should have the texture of light cream.
6. Bring the remaining 1 cup of water to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan with the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the starch slurry in a steady stream while stirring constantly in one direction, and keep stirring for 6-8 minutes until it turns from white to a translucent, glossy gray.
7. Cover the starch and let it rest off the heat for 2 minutes; it should hold its shape when scooped. Stir once more vigorously to restore a smooth, stretchy texture.
8. Serve the starch in a bowl alongside the bubbling palm fruit soup so each person can pinch off a piece, roll it between the fingers, and dip it into the soup.

Cook’s Notes

• Fresh palm fruits give the most authentic flavor, but canned palm-fruit concentrate (about 2 cups) can be substituted; skip the boiling-and-pounding step and go straight to seasoning.
• Whisk the starch slurry thoroughly right before pouring into the boiling water, as cassava starch settles quickly and lumps will form if it is left to sit.
• For a richer soup, include stockfish head or dried fish alongside the smoked fish and rehydrate them in warm water before adding to the pot.
• Ogiri or iru (fermented seed condiments) add a deep, funky complexity that is traditional in Delta cooking; add more to taste or skip if unavailable.
• Starch thickens as it cools, so serve it while still warm and pliable; if it firms up too much, stir in a few tablespoons of hot water to loosen.

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