Cowfoot Soup is a wholesome, comforting soup loved by Jamaicans and the Caribbean in general. They say it is good for a hangover and some believe it is an aphrodisiac, even the Zimbabweans agree too. Eating feet is common in Jamaica, just like in Nigeria and many parts of the world e.g. Asia, South America, and parts of Europe (France), this includes chicken feet, goat trotters, cowfoot, etc., prepared in their special cuisine.

Cowfoot is made up of skin, bone, cartilage, marrow, and tendon and takes a long time to cook. So this soup is cooked mostly on Saturdays in Jamaica. The bone marrow and tendon add depth and intensity of flavour to the soup.

Well-cooked cowfoot is tender, rich, dense and gelatinous. Since it takes hours to get it soft, it is best to use a pressure pot if you have one. A pressure pot will take between 20 minutes and one hour to get your cowfoot tender, depending on how soft you like it.

If you don’t want to use a pressure pot, add about ten raw bean seeds to your cooking liquid or a well-washed brand new iron nail, spoon etc. It will drastically reduce cooking time. Both are meat tenderisers, don’t forget to fish out the iron utensil once the cuts of cowfoot are soft. If you buy the feet of a very mature female cow, you will need both the tenderisers and a pressure pot.

Some optional extras are added to cowfoot soup, the most common is butter (Lima) beans. The beans don’t really add much to the taste but it adds nutrients and ‘body’ to the soup also it gives it a good consistency. Spinners are also added, these are spindle-shaped flour dumplings common in Jamaican cuisine.

Other additions are Irish potato, Jamaican Chocho, pumpkin, yam etc., it’s all up to you and what you have available.

Day-old Cowfoot soup gets thicker and more sticky, the flavour is more intense and tastes even better.

To prepare Jamaican Cowfoot soup

550g Cowfoot (sliced)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion (half chopped, half sliced)
1 teaspoon dry thyme (2 sprigs fresh thyme)
10 pimento seeds/All spice (whole, crushed or powdered)
1/2 teaspoon crushed fresh ginger
2 chopped Spring onions (scallion)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 all-purpose seasoning cubes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
1 teaspoon browning
1 scotch bonnet
1 medium carrots
1 medium Green pepper
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 can broad beans

Blanch cowfoot (optional)

Wash cowfoot thoroughly.

Put clean cowfoot in a pot, pour in enough water to cover it.

Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, take off the heat and drain.

Place cowfoot in a bowl.

Prepare Jamaican cowfoot soup

Into the bowl add crushed garlic, chopped half of the onion, thyme, pimento, ginger, chopped scallion, salt, crushed seasoning cubes, black pepper, soy sauce and browning.

Mix very well, throw in the whole scotch bonnet, cover and set aside to marinate, 1-48 hours. (If longer than 1 hour, put in the refrigerator).

Meanwhile slice the remaining half of the Onion, carrots and green pepper. Drain the butter beans and set aside.

In a pressure pot or pot, place cowfoot with marinade and set over medium heat.

Stir and cover until brown for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

If it seems to be burning add very little water, the cowfoot will release its oil.

Pour in enough water to cover the cowfoot, cover and seal the pressure pot, cook for 20-30 minutes until soft.

If using an ordinary pot, add your raw beans (if using) and cook for 2-3 hours. keep topping up with water as the water reduces until soft.

Add carrot, green pepper and ketchup, stir, taste and correct seasoning, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add broad beans, stir very gently, the beans are soft, cook for 5 minutes.

Take off the heat and serve.

Serve with white rice, vegetables, rice and peas, yellow yam, mashed potatoes

Notes

• Cannellini beans are the best alternatives to Butter beans.
• Cowfoot soup will thicken a little bit more as it cools but If you want a thicker gravy/soup, mix two teaspoons cornstarch in 2 teaspoons water add with the broad beans.

Cowfoot Soup

Well-cooked cowfoot is tender, rich, dense and gelatinous.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Caribbean, Jamaican

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 550 g Cowfoot sliced
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 large onion half chopped, half sliced
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme (2 sprigs fresh thyme)
• 10 pimento seeds/All spice whole, crushed or powdered
• ½ teaspoon crushed fresh ginger
• 2 chopped Spring onions (scallion)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 all-purpose seasoning cubes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon browning
• 1 scotch bonnet
• 1 medium carrots
• 1 medium Green pepper
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 can broad beans

Instructions

 

• Blanch cowfoot (optional)
• Wash cowfoot thoroughly.
• Put clean cowfoot in a pot, pour in enough water to cover it.
• Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, take off the heat and drain.
• Place cowfoot in a bowl.
• Prepare Jamaican cowfoot soup
• Into the bowl add crushed garlic, chopped half of the onion, thyme, pimento, ginger, chopped scallion, salt, crushed seasoning cubes, black pepper, soy sauce and browning.
• Mix very well, throw in the whole scotch bonnet, cover and set aside to marinate, 1-48 hours. (If longer than 1 hour, put in the refrigerator).
• Meanwhile slice the remaining half of the Onion, carrots and green pepper. Drain the butter beans and set aside.
• In a pressure pot or pot, place cowfoot with marinade and set over medium heat.
• Stir and cover until brown for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
• If it seems to be burning add very little water, the cowfoot will release its oil.
• Pour in enough water to cover the cowfoot, cover and seal the pressure pot, cook for 20-30 minutes until soft.
• If using an ordinary pot, add your raw beans (if using) and cook for 2-3 hours. keep topping up with water as the water reduces until soft.
• Add carrot, green pepper and ketchup, stir, taste and correct seasoning, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Add broad beans, stir very gently, the beans are soft, cook for 5 minutes.
• Take off the heat and serve.

Notes

• Serve with white rice, vegetables, rice and peas, yellow yam, mashed potatoes
• Cannellini beans are the best alternatives to Butter beans.
• Cowfoot soup will thicken a little bit more as it cools but If you want a thicker gravy/soup, mix two teaspoons cornstarch in 2 teaspoons water add with the broad beans.

Keyword caribbean food, cowfoot, cowleg, jamaican food

If you enjoyed my Easy Jamaican Cowfoot Soup, you will also enjoy my  Jamaican Rice and Peas, Jamaican oven-baked Jerk chicken, Easy Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken, Jamaican Escovitch fish and Jamaican goat curry.

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