Ofe Owerri as the name suggests is soup of Owerri. Nigerian soups sometimes take the name of the tribe where it originates from. Talk of great branding. The Owerri people have certainly owned this one. Nollywood and song writers have all celebrated Ofe Owerri one way or the other. So our journey takes us to Owerri in Imo state .
The ingredient for Ofe Owerri is available in any Nigerian market where Ibo traders sell cooking ingredients. Of course you can vary your protein content as much as you can afford but I understand that it’s best done with dried or smoked meats and this is what I have done. Smoked meats in the market is something I shy away from buying as I am not quite sure which type of meat this is. Most of them come black and in pieces so how can you tell. Whenever mum send us this from the village I use them , economizing as much as possible until the next delivery arrives.
God bless our mothers!
Cooking soups in Nigeria without thickeners is like allowing your ‘swallow’, to swim alone without any escort into the throat. We use either vegetables, yam, Egusi,Ogbono, palm fruit juice or Coco-yam.
Coco-yam is what we will be using to thicken this soup. The Ibo ladies in the market will advise you easily on what to buy. In fact these days, you can consult the ladies in the market to select for you the right ingredients to cook any soup of your choice . This helps when you are not quite sure and you are trying out the recipe for the first time.
Enjoy your journey to Owerri land.
Recipe for Ofe Owerri?
Ingredient
3 pieces smoked Asa fish
4 pieces stock Fish( chunks)
1 cup stock Fish pieces
1 cup smoked prawns
8 pieces Pomo
2tablespoons pounded Cocoyam( type used as thickner)
1 handful Okazi
1 handful Ugu
1tablespoon Crayfish
1 cooking spoon Palm oil
3 beef cubes
2 liters Water
Salt to taste
Method
1, Wash, season the smoked fish, stock fish and pomo with pepper ,and salt and boil till with 1/2 liter of water,till soft
2, Add remaining water, prawns, ground crayfish ,seasoning cubes and more pepper if needed
3, Add the palm oil and boil for 2-3 minutes
4, Dress, wash and boil the cocoyam in skin in seperate pot, whilst fish is boiling. Remove the cocoyam skin and pound into a smooth thick paste
5, Scoop cocoyam paste in four portions and add to the pot, cook until it dissolves completely in the soup
6, Add the Okazi and Ugu and cook for 5 minutes
7, Taste for salt and serve with garri
Thanks for this recipe. Pls can one buy the pounded cocoyam like that in the market? If not does one boil before pounding, or just pound it raw?or can one simply add the cocoyam like that and cook till it boils and dissolves?
Hi, Odonticles. To get your Cocoyam for thickening the soup you boil unpeeled cocoyam, peel the skin and pound whilst still hot or you peel before boiling pound. Make sure to get asmooth paste and add to the soup. Avoid getting it lumpy.
thanks for sharing, will definitely try it out, yours looks yummy!!
Why okazi? It suppose to be uziza to bring out they aroma. Uziza and ugu, or oha
Sorry to bring out a nice aroma
Hi, Nonye.Okazi is also used for ofe Owerri. I agree with you that
Uziza and Ugu is also an option. Indeed Uziza can also be added to the Okazi for aroma.
For one who doesn’t have a morta how do u substitute pounding cocoyam
Hello Linda, you can blend the Coco yam in your domestic blender and add or mash in a bowl using a wooden spoon. But you have to mash very smooth.