🇹🇿 Tanzanian / Nyamwezi · Tribal & Regional Cuisine
🥜 Nyamwezi Groundnut Soup
Supu ya Karanga — Wanyamwezi
Nyamwezi Groundnut Soup — freshly roasted groundnuts ground and simmered with onion, tomato, and leafy greens into a thick, nourishing soup. The protein-rich staple of Tanzania's central plateau — sustaining traders and farmers alike for centuries.
Groundnut soup is the Nyamwezi's most important source of plant protein — the freshly roasted and ground groundnuts produce a soup of extraordinary richness and body that sustained the great caravan traders on their journeys.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large pot, Mortar or blender
- 1 cup raw groundnuts — roasted and ground
- 2 onions — diced
- 3 tomatoes — diced
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3 cups water
Method
- Roast groundnuts. Cool. Grind to a coarse paste.
- Heat oil. Cook onions until golden. Add tomatoes. Cook 6 minutes.
- Mix ground groundnuts with 1 cup warm water.
- Add to the tomato base. Add remaining water.
- Simmer 15—18 minutes until thick.
- Add greens. Cook 3 more minutes until wilted.
- Season with salt.
Chef Tips
- Fresh-roasted groundnuts are essential — commercial peanut butter lacks the roasted complexity.
- The soup should be thick — not pourable.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Commercial peanut butter substitution.
- Too thin — reduce further.
The Science
See TZA049 for groundnut sauce science.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Very high plant protein.
- Healthy fats from groundnuts.
- Vitamins from greens.
Cultural Note
Nyamwezi groundnut soup is the food of the long road — nourishing enough to sustain traders walking hundreds of kilometres, made from a single drought-resistant crop that the central plateau provides in abundance.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate 4 days.
Reheating: Gently.
Serve with: Ugali wa Mtama (TZA246), As a standalone soup