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Igbo soups are rich, nutritious and delicious. They are typically thick and usually made with a variety of vegetables, assorted meat, and spices.
Most Igbo soups get their titles from the name of the vegetable used in cooking it.
And if there are more than one vegetable in the soup, it bears the name of the main vegetable.
These soups are often served with traditional staples like pounded yam, fufu, or eba. Each soup has its own unique flavor and ingredients, making them an essential part of Igbo culinary culture and the Nigerian cuisine.
This blog post explains six popular Igbo soups. Read on to learn how to cook them.
Different Types of Igbo Soups
There are different types of soups peculiar to the Igbos. Some are:
1. Ofe oha
2. Ofe onugbu
3. Ofe akwu
4. Ofe ahara
5. Ofe nsala
6. Ofe oziza
How to Cook Ofe Oha (Oha Soup)
Oha soup is one of the popular Igbo soups we have. Oha leaf is called African Rosewood in English and its botanical name is Pterocarpus mildbraedii.
It is rich in vitamins and minerals and can be enjoyed with different swallows when prepared.
Ingredients For Cooking Oha Soup
● Meat of choice
● Oha leaves
● Oziza leaves
● Palm oil
● Dried fish
● Stock fish
● Roasted fish
● Blended crayfish
● Blended fresh pepper
● Periwinkles (optional)
● Cow skin (ponmo)
● Onions
● Seasoning cubes
● Salt
● Ogiri
● Water
● Thickener (cocoyam, achi, ofor or cocoyam flour)
● Spices (nutmeg powder, garlic, ground pepper)
Procedure For Cooking Oha Soup
● Marinate the meat with salt, onions, seasoning cubes, and spices
● Wash, shred the oziza leaves and keep aside
● Wash the oha leaves and cut into small bits with your hands
● Wash the cocoyam and boil. Peel the bark and pound or blend to form a paste. Keep aside
● Boil the marinated meat until tender
● Add the cow skin and allow to cook
● Add the stock fish, dried fish, roasted fish, periwinkles, crayfish and pepper and allow to cook for a while
● Add the ogiri and palm oil and allow to cook
● Add the thickener, stir properly to prevent lumps from forming and allow to cook
● Add the shredded oziza leaves and allow to cook
● Add the oha leaves, mix and allow to cook for about five minutes
● Serve with preferred swallow
How to Cook Ofe Onugbu (Bitterleaf Soup)
Bitter leaf has medicinal properties and is usually used for treatment of illnesses.
When prepared as a soup, the bitter taste is not as pronounced, and so it’s a favorite soup among many Igbos.
Ingredients For Cooking Ofe Onugbu
● Meat of choice
● Bitterleaf
● Palm oil
● Dried fish
● Stock fish
● Roasted fish
● Blended crayfish
● Blended fresh pepper
● Cow skin (ponmo)
● Onions
● Ogiri
● Seasoning cubes
● Salt
● Water
● Thickener (cocoyam, achi, ofor or cocoyam flour)
● Spices (nutmeg powder, garlic, ground pepper)
Procedure For Cooking Ofe Onugbu
● Marinate the meat with salt, onions, seasoning cubes, and spices
● Wash the bitter leaf by rubbing it between your palms (like you’re washing clothes) to reduce the bitter taste. You can also buy washed bitterleaf from the market
● Boil the washed bitter leaf in water for about five minutes. This further reduces the bitter taste
● Pour the boiled bitter leaf in a colander to drain off excess water
● Wash the cocoyam and boil. Peel the bark and pound or blend to form a paste. Keep aside
● Boil the marinated meat until tender
● Add the cow skin and allow to cook
● Add the stock fish, dried fish, roasted fish, crayfish and pepper and allow to cook for a while
● Add the ogiri and palm oil and allow to cook
● Add the thickener, stir properly to prevent lumps from forming and allow to cook
● Add the drained bitterleaf, mix properly and allow to cook
● Serve with preferred swallow
How to Cook Ofe Akwu (Banga Soup)
Ofe akwu is a versatile Igbo soup. Asides from swallow, it can be eaten with boiled rice, yam or plantain.
It is prepared from palm kernel nuts and other ingredients and is packed with a lot of nutrients.
Ingredients For Cooking Ofe Akwu
● Meat (beef, or goat meat)
● Palm kernel nuts
● Dried fish
● Stock fish
● Roasted fish
● Blended crayfish
● Blended fresh pepper
● Cow skin (ponmo)
● Onions
● Seasoning cubes
● Salt
● Water
● Banga spice
● Vegetable (scent leaves or oziza leaves)
● Spices (nutmeg powder, garlic, ground pepper)
Procedure For Cooking Ofe Akwu
● Marinate the meat with salt, onions, seasoning cubes, and spices
● Boil the marinated meat until tender
● Add the cow skin and allow to cook
● Add the stock fish, dried fish, roasted fish, crayfish and pepper, allow to cook for a while and set aside
● Wash and shred the vegetable
● Wash the palm kernel nut and boil until soft
● Drain the water, pound or blend and extract the palm kernel juice
● Add the palm kernel juice to a pot and boil on high heat till it begins to thicken and you notice oil on the surface of the soup
● Add the banga spice and allow to
cook well
● Add the vegetable, cooked proteins and stock, stir well and allow to boil for a while
● Serve with preferred swallow, boiled rice, yam or plantain
How to Cook Ofe Ahara
Unlike oha and other Igbo soups, ofe ahara is not so common. However, it is a nutritious soup made from the leaves of garden egg plant.
It is rich in vitamins and minerals and has a lot of health benefits. Its method of preparation is similar to that of oha soup.
Ingredients For Cooking Ofe Ahara
● Meat (beef, or goat meat)
● Ahara leaves (garden egg leaves)
● Palm oil
● Dried fish
● Stock fish
● Roasted fish
● Blended crayfish
● Blended fresh pepper
● Cow skin (ponmo)
● Onions
● Seasoning cubes
● Salt
● Ogiri
● Water
● Thickener (cocoyam, achi, ofor or cocoyam flour)
● Spices (nutmeg powder, garlic, ground pepper)
Procedure For Cooking Ofe Ahara
● Marinate the meat with salt, onions, seasoning cubes, and spices
● Wash and shred the ahara leaves
● Wash the cocoyam and boil. Peel the bark and pound or blend to form a paste. Keep aside
● Boil the marinated meat until tender
● Add the cow skin and allow to cook
● Add the stock fish, dried fish, roasted fish, crayfish and pepper and allow to cook for a while
● Add the ogiri and palm oil and allow to cook
● Add the thickener, stir properly to prevent lumps from forming and allow to cook
● Add the ahara leaf, mix properly and allow to cook
● Serve with preferred swallow
How to Cook Ofe Nsala
Ofe nsala, usually called white soup, is another popular Igbo soup. It is the thicker version of pepper soup and is cooked without palm oil, hence the name.
It is usually prepared with a variety of fish, especially catfish. Here’s how to cook Ofe nsala:
Ingredients For Cooking Ofe Nsala
● Catfish
● Crayfish
● Fresh pepper
● Onions
● Utazi leaf
● Ogiri
● Yam
● Seasoning cubes
● Salt
● Water
Procedure For Cooking Ofe Nsala
● Wash the cat fish with hot water, lime or alum to get rid of the slime
● Add the
catfish to a pot and add water
● Peel, wash the yam and cut into small pieces
● Add the yam to the pot and cook until soft. Then bring out and pound
● Chop the utazi and pound or blend with the pepper, onions, ogiri and crayfish
● Add the pounded yam to the pot in bits and allow to dissolve
● Add the blended utazi and pepper mix and allow to cook
● Once the yam dissolves, it thickens the soup and it is ready
● Serve with preferred swallow
How to Cook Ofe Oziza
Ofe oziza is similar to oha soup. The difference is that the main and only leaf is the oziza leaf.
It is a nutritious soup that can be eaten with any swallow of your choice. Here’s how to cook ofe oziza:
Ingredients For Cooking Ofe Oziza
● Meat
● Oziza leaves
● Palm oil
● Dried fish
● Stock fish
● Roasted fish
● Blended crayfish
● Blended fresh pepper
● Onions
● Seasoning cubes
● Salt
● Water
● Thickener (cocoyam, achi, ofor or cocoyam flour)
● Spices (nutmeg powder, garlic, ground pepper)
Procedure For Cooking Ofe Oziza
● Marinate the meat with salt, onions, seasoning cubes, and spices
● Wash and shred the oziza leaves
● Wash the cocoyam and boil. Peel the bark and pound or blend to form a paste. Keep aside
● Boil the marinated meat until tender
● Add the cow skin and allow to cook
● Add the stock fish, dried fish, roasted fish, crayfish and pepper and allow to cook for a while
● Add the ogiri and palm oil and allow to cook
● Add the thickener, stir properly to prevent lumps from forming and allow to cook
● Add the oziza leaves, mix properly and allow to cook
If you’re from the Eastern part of Nigeria, you’re most likely familiar with these soups. And if you’re not, we hope you’ve learnt how to cook them from this blog post.
These popular Igbo soups can be cooked at home for the family and for any occasion like birthdays, weddings, naming ceremonies etc.
We hope you have fun trying them out. Happy cooking!
SEE ALSO:
Ten of the World’s Most Hazardous Foods
10 Businesses You Can Start with Little or No Capital
Top 11 Popular Food Choices in Nigeria: Most Consumed
The 7 Classes of Food (Examples and Functions)
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