Name: Sauce claire/Light soup
Eaten in: West Africa
Category: Traditional
Does the light soup get its name from its color or the fact that it is indeed a lighter soup compared to the other West African soup and stews? When looking at its name in French, sauce claire, it does seem like the light reddish color from the eggplant/tomato mix is the winner. “Claire” is the opposite of “sombre”, or dark. It is a very easy soup to make, so the light might as well be for light work. It is very versatile and can be made with a choice of proteins, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish etc, or all of the above and will take on as many different flavors. Serve it with some white rice, or attieke huile rouge and embark on a delicious journey!
Sauce Claire Recipe (light soup)
Print recipe| Serves | 2 |
| Prep time | 25 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Total time | 50 minutes |
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant (West African variety) (If this is not available, use 1 green zucchini instead)
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 small onion (minced)
- salt, pepper, chili
- 4 pieces chicken
Directions
| 1. | Heat up the oil in a pot. Stir-fry the onions and the chicken. |
| 2. | Once the chicken starts to take some color, add 3 cups of water and boil uncovered for 15mn |
| 3. | Meanwhile, boil the tomatoes with the eggplant cut in quarters (or peeled and cut zucchini). Once cooked, strain, transfer into a blender and puree. |
| 4. | Add the tomato/eggplant puree to the chicken. Add salt, pepper and chili. Cook at medium temperature for 20mn. |
| 5. | Serve hot with some rice, foutou or attieke mixed with red palm oil |
