Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew/Soup

November 6, 2017 (Last Updated: March 9, 2020)

This delicious pumpkin stew locally called Miyan Taushe is native to Northern Nigeria and is commonly eaten with fufu/swallow, rice, and even naan bread.

In case you have missed it somehow, it is pumpkin season right now, and pumpkins are popping up everywhere not just as a seasonal decoration, but as a major food source. I have not been able to resist the urge to buy some of the beautiful looking pumpkins constantly on sale at my grocery store. In addition to the homemade pumpkin puree I mentioned in my last post, which I used for some sweet pumpkin desserts, I also decided to stretch myself and explore what Nigerian pumpkin recipes were available. I knew that whatever I found would be an absolute flavor delight as is the case with majority of African dishes. One tasty result of this search is this delicious savory stew/ soup that was a big hit in my home and is native to the Northern parts of Nigeria: A delicious pumpkin stew locally called Miyan Taushe.

Miyan taushe is a savory, Nigerian pumpkin dish, native to and quite popular with the Hausa and  Fulani tribes of Northern Nigeria, and interestingly, not really popular anywhere else. In fact there tends to be a lot of ignorance about the variety of native Hausa dishes even in Nigeria (specifically the southern, eastern and western regions), with most of the public awareness relegated to a few of Northern Nigeria’s food exports namely dishes like Suya, Fura da Nono, kuli kuliKilishi, and of course the necessary starch: Tuwo Shinkafa (the side most commonly associated with this dish). Just FYI, I say necessary because if you haven’t caught on yet, a lot of West African dishes center around a savory and meaty soup or stew served with a round ball of starch as a side. These starch balls are usually made from high starch carbohydrates like rice, yams, cassavas/yuca, plantains etc and are collectively given the term “fufu”, “okele” or “swallow” because of how such food tends to be eaten by wrapping a small piece of the starch ball in soup using your hands and swallowing with minimal chewing. Anyway, there remains a lot of unawareness about some amazingly delicious Hausa recipes of which Miyan Taushe is one of the more locally celebrated.

Miyan taushe can be prepared with any ripe pumpkin. I will admit our general surprise in discovering the amazing flavors contained in this stew! To keep things as authentic as possible, I used chevon/goat meat as the meat as is commonly used natively but beef, mutton or any other protein can be used as well. The closest comparison my husband could almost liken it to in taste was a groundnut stew, with a slightly grainy twist but richer. Who knew that pumpkins and peanuts went so well together? It was consumed quite quickly at home!!

As I mentioned earlier, you can choose to go traditional and try Miyan Taushe with a “swallow” of your choice, you may also pair it with rice or any variety of naan bread since naan bears some similarity to “gurasa”: a local Hausa flat bread which was also a traditional side eaten with Miyan Taushe.  This dish is especially eaten during Ramadan so it definitely is an option as a festive dish. Please enjoy and let me know how you liked it!

Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Onion, peppers and meat in pot Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Pumpkin slices in pot with meat Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Peanuts ground in a mortar with a pestleMiyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - just freshly done and ready to serve

Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Two bowls of delicious soup served
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5 from 6 votes

Miyan Taushe Recipe

This delicious pumpkin stew locally called Miyan Taushe is native to the Northern Nigeria and is commonly eaten with fufu/swallow, rice, and even naan bread.
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 348kcal

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs goat meat chunks
  • 1.5 lbs pumpkin peeled and cut into chunks
  • ½ cup palm oil
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts
  • 7 plum/roma tomatoes
  • 2 large onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 4 scotch bonnet peppers
  • 10 oz chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)
  • 5 oz sorrel (substitute with spinach more spinach when unavailable)
  • ¼ cup ground dry cray fish
  • 2 tbsp shrimp bouillon
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Slice both onion and 2 scotch bonnet peppers, and set aside.
  • On low- medium heat in a large stock pot, braise the goat meat with the sliced onions, scotch bonnet peppers, 1 tsp bullion and 1 tsp salt for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.
    Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Onion, peppers and meat in pot
  • While the meat is braising, blend the tomatoes, bell pepper, 1 onion, and  two scotch bonnet peppers. Place the blended tomato mix in a pot and cook on medium heat until the sauce reduces down to a thick paste. You might need to reduce the heat to prevent the tomato paste from burning.
  • Once the meat is tender and done braising, add in the pumpkin chunks and 2 cups of water into the pot with the braised meat. The water should just cover the pumpkin chunks and meat. At this stage, adjust the seasoning of the broth and water that the pumpkins. Cover and boil for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
    Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Pumpkin slices in pot with meat
  • While the pumpkin are cooking, grind the peanuts in a blender, food processor with a mortar an pestle until it forms a rough paste, and set aside.
    Miyan Taushe: Nigerian Pumpkin Stew - Peanuts ground in a mortar with a pestle
  • Once the pumpkins are tender, use the back of a spoon to smash the pumpkin chunks, add in the crushed peanuts, tomato paste, cray fish, and bullion and stir the stew. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on  low- medium heat.
  • After the stew has cooked for 5 minutes, add in the palm oil, chopped spinach and chopped sorrel, and cook the stew covered for 10 minutes on low heat.
  • After 10 minutes, taste the stew for seasoning and adjust the salt if necessary. Turn the heat off and allow the stew to sit for 5 minutes, then serve hot

Notes

Be careful when slicing the scotch bonnet peppers so your hands do not get pepper burns. You can use a glove to be on the safe side.
Feel free to use butternut squash when making this recipe. It works just as well as pumpkins in this recipe.

29 Comments

  • Reply
    Joyce
    November 7, 2017 at 12:55 pm

    Hey Lois!
    Question. The blended tomato mix is cooked without any oil right? I want to make sure I got it right, LOL.

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 7, 2017 at 4:28 pm

      No problem Joyce! I did not cook the tomato mix in oil. I just cooked it down by itself to reduce and form a paste.

    • Reply
      Aisha Aliyu Ibrahim
      March 29, 2019 at 6:55 am

      Thanks mam I learnt How to prepare Miyan taushe from you I really appreciate. Jummah Mubarak.

      • Reply
        Lois
        April 4, 2019 at 8:49 am

        I am glad to help Aisha!

  • Reply
    Chrystina
    November 7, 2017 at 6:46 pm

    The sounds and looks delicious! I can already smell it. I hope I can taste it soon

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 8, 2017 at 8:43 am

      I hope you get to taste it soon too Chrystina!

  • Reply
    Patti
    November 8, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    This looks delicious. I like goat meat, but I’ve never considered pairing it with pumpkin. I’ve also never used scotch bonnet peppers. How spicy/hot are they? I’m wondering if I would need to reduce them so that my kids will eat this. They don’t tolerate spicy very well. My husband LOVES spicy.

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 11, 2017 at 7:37 pm

      Scotch bonnets are actually very spicy. A little hotter than habanero peppers. You could easily replace them with Aji sweet peppers or any other sweet pepper you like. If you were just cooking for your husband I would say go ahead and cook with the scotch bonnets, the heat mellows out in the stew and adds a serious flavor punch.

  • Reply
    Saima Zaidi
    November 8, 2017 at 4:09 pm

    5 stars
    Never tried Nigerian cuisine, but this preparation looks truly delicious! It almost looks like an Indian curry though the ingredients are very different

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 11, 2017 at 7:38 pm

      I know what you mean about the similarities in appearance. It is quite a flavor departure from any curry you have tried though.

  • Reply
    Veena Azmanov
    November 10, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious. I love the spice flavors and the tang you must get from the tomatoes along side the sweetness from the pumpkins. The color is so pretty too. Saving for later.

  • Reply
    Kate
    November 11, 2017 at 8:42 am

    This sounds delicious. I am vegetarian though, could I just omit the meat? I’d love to try Nigerian recipes!

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 11, 2017 at 7:29 pm

      You could absolutely omit the meat Kate and possibly even replace it with mushrooms.

  • Reply
    Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago
    November 12, 2017 at 9:06 am

    Wow, this sounds like such an interesting dish and such a unique way to use pumpkin during this fall season!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    November 12, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    I’ve been craving a pumpkin and/or butternut squash soup…so to say that this recipe is perfect timing, is an understatement! Can’t wait to make this…and then devour it!

    • Reply
      Lois. O
      November 12, 2017 at 8:36 pm

      Hope you like it!

  • Reply
    linda spiker
    November 12, 2017 at 7:27 pm

    5 stars
    This meal is sooo right up my alley! Love everything about it.

  • Reply
    Ginny
    November 12, 2017 at 7:36 pm

    5 stars
    That sauce must be fantastic. The mix is very different from anything I’ve used before. Thanks for the recipe!

  • Reply
    Emma
    November 12, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    I love learning about authentic dishes from other places. I’ve never tried Nigerian cuisine before, but now I’m really curious!

  • Reply
    prasanna hede
    November 13, 2017 at 4:10 am

    All the ingredients are so nice,plus combo of Pumpkin ,goat meat and fish together must be a feast!

  • Reply
    Tina
    November 13, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    I love the ingredients and the color of this stew, it looks AMAZING:) The dried crayfish is exciting. I will definitely keep an eye out for it, I’m sure it has great umami, thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 13, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      you are right about the umami flavor it adds!

  • Reply
    Renee Gardner
    November 18, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    This looks like a luscious bowl of comfort food! Thank you for sharing. I noticed in a comment above that you said scotch bonnets are very spicy. I, sadly, don’t usually enjoy super spicy foods, but I do like the flavor on a milder scale. Can you recommend a type of sweeter pepper that would be a good match for this dish or should I just try it with one scotch bonnet? To give you a bit of a reference point, In most Indian or Thai restaurants in the US mild is good, but medium is too hot for me.

    • Reply
      Lois. O
      November 20, 2017 at 8:22 pm

      A good substitute for scotch bonnet peppers that is sweet but flavorful is Aji peppers. They have a similar flavor to scotch bonnets without the spice.

  • Reply
    Jessica Pinney
    November 19, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    I don’t eat a lot of stew but this recipe looks so good I’m going to have to try it. Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply
    Faith
    November 21, 2017 at 7:24 am

    5 stars
    Oh how I’ve missed your recipes! This looks so great! I may just suggest this dish to my mom this Christmas. I love goat meat a lot!

  • Reply
    Sebastian Wahl
    December 21, 2017 at 9:50 am

    How much palm oil and can coconut oil be substituted. Thank you for sharing. Am obsessed with west Africa and Caribbean 😍

    • Reply
      Lois
      December 21, 2017 at 2:06 pm

      Thanks for pointing out the missing measurement Sebastian. I added the measurement for the palm oil (half cup). I have never tried substituting coconut oil in this recipe, but I will advice that you try it with palm oil first, then see if you can like it with coconut oil. I think it will come still taste nice with the coconut oil.

  • Reply
    nunu
    June 28, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    hello, sorry. we northerners don’t eat fufu with miyan taushe. we eat it with tuwon shinkafa as you suggested or masa.

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