Supu Ya Ndizi

Supu Ya Ndizi is a traditional East African soup made with green cooking bananas, vegetables, and spices. It is especially popular in Tanzania and among communities along the East African coast.

45 min · serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 green cooking bananas, peeled and sliced
• 500 g beef, chicken, or fish (optional)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 cups water or stock
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 potato, diced (optional)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped, for garnish

Steps

1. Peel and slice the green bananas into medium-sized pieces.
2. If using meat, cook it in a pot with water until tender and reserve the stock.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.
5. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened.
7. Stir in the curry powder.
8. Add the bananas, carrot, and potato.
9. Pour in the stock or water and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the bananas are very soft.
11. Add the cooked meat or fish if using.
12. Season with salt and black pepper.
13. Mash some of the bananas with a spoon to thicken the soup, if desired.
14. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
15. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

More recipes with bananas, onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, carrots or curry powder

Adapted from “Supu Ya Ndizi” in the Wikibooks Cookbook by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for this site; this page's recipe text is shared under the same license.