How to make Authentic Ofe Onugbu

How to cook Ofe Onugbu

When cooking Nigerian soups I try as much as possible to ensure that the recipe remains as authentic as possible from the ethnic group where the soup originates from. I visited Awka to attend a wedding two weeks ago and took out time to learn the way Onugbu soup should be cooked. I have cooked this soup before but all I can say is that I cover my face in shame when I realize how off point I was then.

If you visit restaurants in the south east of Nigeria Ofe Onugbu will come in the top five eaten dishes particularly in the Anambra area.

So to get this soup right I brought back to Lagos, washed Bitterleaf, Ogiri and Cocoyam for thickening the soup. Some people add some ofo or achi (both thickeners) to further thicken the soup when Cocoyam is not enough.

I am using only Cocoyam as my thickener. The characteristic of this soup is the way long strands of the bitter leaves are allowed to remain in the soup.

The leaves are left to wilt and then washed without breaking the leaves into tiny pieces. I am aware that some people use potash to reduce the bitterness of the leaves. This is why you should rinse the leaves very well when you buy the washed ones in the market. Some others use hot was to reduce the bitterness. So at the end of the day you can vary the bitterness levels based on taste preference.

The twist I brought to the soup which was to add some yellow pepper at the end of the cooking. The pepper helps to reduce the intensity of the Ogiri aroma and I was left with Ofe Onugbu with a well-rounded flavour. Cook and enjoy.

 

Recipe for cooking Ofe Onugbu (6 people)

6-8 pieces Beef

2 segments smoked fish

1/2 cup Stock fish pieces

10 pieces smoked Prawns

6 pieces Pomo or Kanda

10 -12 pieces Cocoyam

Ogiri (1 wrap)

Bitterleaf (1 1/2 handfuls)

2-3 tablespoons crayfish

Yellow Pepper to taste

About 3 cooking spoons Palm Oil

Seasoning cubes to taste

Salt to taste

Method

1. Season and steam beef, Stockfish and Pomo till soft
2. Scrape off the outer ‘hairs’, cut off a bit of the top and bottom of the Cocoyam, wash very well and boil in the skin till soft.
3. Get your mortar and pestle ready, peel the Cocoyam and pound till smooth and resilient. If you don’t have a mortar you can use a food processor or blender to get the Cocoyam well blended and resilient or ‘drawy’.
4. Add water to the pot of meat, enough for 6-8 people, bring to boil. Add the crayfish, smoked fish, palm oil, dissolve Ogiri in a little water and add and bring to boil till the fish is soft and the Ogiri aroma reduces.
5. Add the Cocoyam in small lumps so it dissolves fast in the soup. As my Cocoyam took a bit of time to completely dissolve, I found myself adding a little more water to lighten the soup. The Cocoyam is to dissolve on its own without using a spoon to break it up. However you may need to crush up small pieces that are left towards the end.
6. When the Cocoyam dissolves allow the soup to cook for about 5 minutes before adding the well rinsed bitter leaves. No need to shred the leaves. Allow the bitter leaves to cook for about 3-5 minutes.

7. Chop some yellow pepper and add, cook for just 1 minutes just before the Bitterleaf is ready.

Find more Nigerian Soups Recipes here