Africa is big on soups in the culinary scene. From mushroom bisque to vegetable soup, tomatoes bisque, to butternut squash soup, and thick vegetable and meat stews to carrot and ham soup (that one sound weird, but I promise, you, it’s delicious!), Africa is the home of tasty and hearty soups!
In our recipe book, a Taste of Africa, we spotlight recipes from some of our favorite accommodations in southern and eastern Africa, and many of these recipes include soups. So if you are a soup lover (and who isn’t in these chilly winter months?) then I invite you to try the recipe below for Prawn Soup by the luxurious Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town.
Shrimp (or prawns, as we call them in Africa) is one of my favorite dishes. This is a lovely, light recipe perfect for a cool evening, and the curry powder really spices it up.
serves 4
Step 1: Stock
Use the heads and shells from fresh prawns to make this fragrant stock.
- 6 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 pounds prawns, separated into heads and shells for the stock and meat set aside to cook
- and add to the soup just prior to serving
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced
- 2 red chilies, sliced
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, toasted
- 1 star anise
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 13 cups water
1. Preheat oven to 395°F and roast tomatoes for 20 minutes until caramelized.
2. Heat a large wok or saucepan and add prawn heads and shells; toss over high heat until they start to color.
3. Deglaze the pan with white wine and remove from heat.
4. Heat the oil in a stockpot and sauté the remaining ingredients, excluding the water, tomatoes, and prawn heads and shells.
5. Once it becomes aromatic, add the prawn heads and shells to the stockpot, plus their juices, the tomatoes, and water, and bring to a boil.
6. Simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming frequently to remove all the impurities.
7. First strain the stock through a conical sieve to extract as much stock as possible. Discard the solids.
8. Strain the stock again, this time through a fine-meshed sieve to remove all the sediment.
9. You now have the stock for your soup.
Step 2: Soup
- 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups prawn stock
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, strained
- 6 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 onions, finely sliced and fried until crispy
- 1 red bird’s-eye chili, finely sliced
- 3/4 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
- 3/4 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the chopped onion until lightly browned.
2. Add the curry powder and combine with the onions.
3. Add the coconut milk and prawn stock and gently bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and strain into another saucepan. Discard the whole bits.
6. Add the lime juice and fish sauce—these are used as seasoning so adjust as necessary.
7. Just before serving, heat a pan to grill the prawn meat that was reserved earlier.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls, allowing 3–4 prawns per portion, and garnish with the fried crispy onion, chili, fresh cilantro, and fresh mint.
More about Cape Grace Hotel: I love Cape Grace. You can get a room with a view of the harbor, or, my favorite is the Table Mountain view. Be sure to stop by the Bascule Whisky, Wine, and Cocktail Bar for a cocktail overlooking the marina.
Situated on a private quay, nestled between the working harbor of Cape Town’s bustling Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and the serenity of an international yacht marina, Cape Grace showcases the essence of the Cape with designs that reveal local creativity, while staying true to the warm atmosphere and personalized levels of service that have for years defined the hotel.
Cape Grace’s Signal Restaurant offers creative Cape cuisine that’s fresh and inventive. Led by Executive Chef Malika van Reenen, Signal Restaurant draws on influences from the many nationalities and customs that have shaped this region.
Signal Restaurant’s menu changes seasonally, but a common factor is the freshness of the ingredients and a distinctively South African flavor.
