Vegetarian Ademe Detsi

This vegetarian ademe detsi is a simple rendition of a popular ewe soup that is delicious, nutritious and tasty.

What is Ademe Detsi?

Ademe Detsi roughly translates to jute mallow soup in the Ewe language. Traditionally it is made with a base of fish and seafood flavoured with fermented locust beans (dawa dawa/iru), fermented fish with lots of onions, pepper and red palm oil. The star of this dish is the jute mallow leaves that give this dish its signature texture and draw.

This vegetarian ademe detsi builds on the same flavour profiles of a traditional soup without the seafood or animal products. It is delicious, nutritious and healthy.

Why everyone should eat jute mallow

Jute mallow also known as ayoyo (Hausa), ewedu(Yoruba), molokhia (Arabic) is a popular green used in soups across West Africa. Scientifically, it is part of the sorrel/hibiscus family (Malvaceae) and known as Corchorus olitorius. Jute mallow, when cooked, has the same mucilaginous texture as okra but is a lot smoother. Growing up it was the bulk of a soup my mother used to introduce solids into my diet as it goes down smoothly. Nutritionally, it is packed with Vitamins A, B6, C, K, and Iron. For this reason, it is a healthy food used for a variety of ailments in areas where they are consumed. It is best consumed cooked.

What you will need for this recipe.

• Ademe/Jute mallow: These are not hard to find, I had them grown for me fresh but they can be purchased at any African or Middle Eastern store frozen, or in rare cases, fresh.
• Red Palm Oil: Palm oil sourced from West Africa is not only providing a buttery flavour but a rich red colour full of beta-carotene. I always purchase mine from my local African store. For more details on palm Oil, please check out my blog post (click here)
• Aromatics: Onions, ginger and hot pepper add flavour to this dish. In addition, the onions increase the draw of this dish for more slip and better slurping.
• Okra: I added okra because I didn’t have enough jute mallow. Okra also increases the slip of this dish and brings nutritional value
• Spices and Condiments: The essential spice is dawa dawa, which adds a very traditional smell and flavour. in addition, I included some miso for a fermented salty flavour, some better than bouillon for my stock base and some curry powder for a well-rounded flavour profile. I also included a mushroom + nori powder mix for a more fishy and umami flavour (click here for details). More details on indigenous Ghanaian spices can be found here (click here)
• Plant-Based Protein: I used 1/2 block of extra firm tofu but feel free to use tempeh instead
• Mushrooms: I used a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms for more flavour and texture.
• Additives: I got some tripe made from konjac root at my local Chinese supermarket. It has no flavour but certainly has the texture of tripe.

FAQ + Substitutions

1. Can I skip the red palm oil? You are welcome to skip palm oil and substitute it with a neutral oil; however, palm oil adds a unique flavour to many west African dishes. I suggest checking out my blog post on palm oil (click here)
2. Can I use okra instead? If you want to use just okra, please check out my okra stew recipe (click here)
3. Where can I purchase these ingredients? For more details, please check my FAQ section.

What to Serve this Vegetarian Ademe Detsi with?

There are so many options, you can use enjoy it with banku, ewòkplé, or eba. You can check out my banku recipe for more details (click here)

Want to try another vegan-friendly West African soups?

• Okra Stew
• Palm Nut Soup
• Efo Riro

If you like this recipe, make sure to leave a comment and tag me on social media @eatwithafia

Print Recipe

Ademe Detsi

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Ghanaian, Togolese

Keyword: african ingredients, jute mallow, soup

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 onions 1 finely chopped + 1/2 roughly chopped
• 1 thumb size of garlic
• 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 cup dry shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 block of extra firm tofu 1 block is 456g
• 1/4 cup of red palm oil
• 1 large bag of jute mallow 1 frozen packet of jute mallow thawed
• 15 okra
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp mushroom+nori mix see notes above for info
• 1/2 tsp of dawa dawa I used a powder, use more for fresh or dry dawa dawa
• 1 tbsp of miso paste
• 1 tbsp of better than bouillon veggie base
• konjac tripe optional
• salt to taste
• water

Instructions

• In a pot, soak the mushrooms with 2 cups of hot water. Bring to a rolling boil and boil till the mushrooms are soft.
• In another pot at medium heat, saute 1/2 of the finely chopped onions in red palm oil along with the miso.
• As the onions are sautéeing, blend the roughly chopped onions with the pepper and ginger.
• Add the onion, ginger and pepper blend to the oil and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low so that it does not burn.
• As the oil mixture is cooking away, prep the rest of the ingredients.
• In a blender, blend all the okra and set it aside.
• By this time, the mushrooms should be tender. Pour the mushrooms with the broth into the pot with the onion mixture. Add in your spices (dawa dawa, mushroom +nori powder, curry powder), tofu, better than bouillon veggie base and konjac tripe.
• Let everything boil at medium heat uncovered but keep an eye on it. Let it boil till it has reduced and you get a thick sauce that still has some liquid in. You do not want the pot to be dry.
• Now in the pot used for the mushrooms, add in your okra, 1 cup of water and the rest of the finely chopped onions. Let this come to a boil for about 10 minutes.
• Prep the jute mallow. if using fresh jute leaf, roughly chop the jute leaf and wash it very well to get any dirt or sand out.
• Add the jute leaf to the okra and let it boil for about 5 minutes. you really do not want to overcook the jute leaf
• While the jute leaf + okra mixture is cooking, taste your oil soup base. make sure it tastes salty to you but not unbearable salty. Added salt affects the draw/slip of the soup so you want to make sure that the soup has enough salt before adding the okra/jute leaf mixture, which will dilute the salt out.
• Once both components are combined, let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes at medium-low. Then it is ready