Rice Balls and Palmnut Soup Recipes

At the suggestion of a reader, I am sharing the recipe for palmnut soup and am including one for rice balls as well. 

Palmnut Soup

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. oil

2 1/2 quarts liquid strained from palm nut pulp

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1" fresh ginger

3 hot peppers (or ground red pepper to taste)

Smoked Fish or other meat

3 T. tomato paste

2 tsp. salt

2 large shrimp maggi cubes

Fry onion and garlic in the oil. Add the palm nut liquid. Grind remaining onion, garlic, ginger, and hot peppers with a mortar and pestle and add to soup. Add remaining ingredients. Keep at a rolling boil without stirring until red oil floats on the top and the soup has thickened to your desired consistency. This will take more than an hour. Skim some of the oil from the top, if you like, to use in future recipes. Serve with rice balls, fufu, or banku. 

Rice Balls

Boil rice with 3 cups water to each cup of rice, stirring often. When the water is almost gone, remove from heat. Keep covered and allow it to steam for 10 minutes, then stir vigorously with a strong wooden spoon until rice is very sticky and kernels are smashed. Scoop 3/4 cup of sticky rice with a wet gourd dipper and make circular motions to form nice, smooth balls. Put into bowls and serve with soup.