Jamaican Beef Soup Recipe

Saturday Soup | Jamaican Beef Soup

For as long as I can remember, Saturday's meant soup was on the menu! Even if we we visiting family or friends, we'd be offered Soup on a Saturday.
It's a Jamaican tradition, that I continue to this day. 
Here's my recipe for Saturday soup.

The longest thing is preparing all the veg - the bit I don't like, but once that's out of the way, you can just add, stir and leave until ready.

You'll Need
  • Water
  • 3 spring onions (scallion)
  • 2/3 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1/2 whole scotch bonnet peppers
  • 2 Maggi Chicken cubes
  • Dunns River All Purpose Seasoning
  • Beef or chicken.
  • 2/3 carrots, washed, scraped and cubed
  • Pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 medium cho-cho, peeled and cubed
  • Yellow yam, peeled and cubed
  • 4/5 Irish potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 packet of noodle soup mix - Grace Chicken, Cock Soup, Beef & Pumpkin or Pumpkin are my personal faves
  • 1 tablespoon(s) all purpose seasoning
  • couple of pimento seeds (to your preference)

 

Saturday Soup/Beef Soup Directions

  1. Add water to your soup/stock pot  - approx. 3/4s full.
  2. Add some of the chopped pumpkin, garlic, thyme, spring onion and Maggi cube to the pot. (add a scotch bonnet if you like it hot)
  3. Add the meat/chicken, some all purpose seasoning and leave to boil.
  4. Once the meat has started to soften, add your hard veg, the tougher the veg, the earlier you add it.
  5. Add the remaining pumpkin, carrots and cho-cho and cook until the meat is tender.
  6. Taste your pot! Add seasoning if required.
  7. When the meat is tender, add your yam, dumpling and potatoes
  8. When it looks almost ready, add in your soup noodle mix, corn cobettes, keep stirring so the noodles don't burn at the bottom of the pot.
  9. Let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy.

PS I don't eat dumplings, but here's a recipe for those that need it!

  1. Combine flour, a pinch of salt with about half a cup of water and knead until it's a smooth dough texture. 
  2. Leave it for about 15 minutes.
  3. Take some of the dough and make it the shape you want.