Bitter leaf Soup Recipe – Ofé Onugbo
Ingredients:
– 1kg of assorted meat (Beef, ox tail, shaki, cow leg, goat meat)
– I medium dry fish
– I big size stock fish
– 100grams grounded Crayfish (as desired)
– 2 seasoning cubes
– 2 tablespoonfuls dried grounded red hot chilli pepper(prefer fresh pepper)
– 10 tablespoonful of red palm oil (I use fresh palm fruit, pound, squeeze and use d liquid)
– 1kg white cocoyam
– Freshly squeezed or dried bitter leaf
– Salt – ½ teaspoonfuls (to taste)
– 10 cups of water
- 2 wraps of Ogiri (optional)
Preparation
Cooking Time : 90 minutes
Method :
1.Wash the assorted meat in clean warm water. Put the assorted meat in a pot, add about a cup or two of water and two seasoning cubes, half the sliced onion, salt to taste, bring to boil for about 20 minutes.

2. Wash the stock fish with sponge to remove sand and allow running under plenty of tap water. The stock fish is best soaked overnight to allow it absorbs water and become tender. Cut the stock fish into servable bits and add it to the boiling meat. Allow to boil for 5 – 10 minutes.

3. Then add washed dry fish in the whole mixture of assorted meat, stock fish and boil for another 5 minutes.

4. Add about 4 cups of water into the pot of boiling meat and fish, and add about 1 or 2 tablespoonful of dried/fresh red hot pepper to taste and freshly squeezed or dried bitter leaf (3 to 4 balls of hand squeezed fresh bitter leaf, or 3 – 5 tablespoonful of dried bitter leaf. Allow to boil for 3 – 5 minutes.

5. Then add palm oil and already cooked and pounded cocoyam to thicken the soup. If there is no access to cocoyam you can sprinkle some garri which can do the same wonder as cocoyam. Add Ogiri (locust beans) and pepper/salt/crayfish to taste and allow to cook for 10 minutes.

If u are using palm fruit, no need of adding water, cos u ll use the palm fruit extract.

Allow to cook for 5-8min, then serve with fufu/pounded cocoyam/yam/garri...

Food Note: Bitter leaf soup is known as ”Ofe Onugbu” in Igbo language, where ‘‘Ofe” stands for ”soup” and ”Onugbu” stands for ”bitter leaf”.

It is called Obe efo Elewuro in Yoruba language, where ” obe” signifies ”soup” and ” efo elewuro” stands for ”bitter leaf”.

In Hausa language it is ”Miyan shuwaka”, where ” Miyan ” denotes ”soup” and ” shuwaka” stands for ”bitter leaf”.

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Nice, surprisingly I was searching for this all through nairaland.

I thought Edo Esan people way of making ofe onugbu is the bae!
Freshly washed bitter leaf, blended into smooth paste etc
Same method but bitter leaf is blended. Highly yummiest.

armyofone:
I thought Edo Esan people way of making ofe onugbu is the bae!
Freshly washed bitter leaf, blended into smooth paste etc
Same method but bitter leaf is blended. Highly yummiest.

How do you blend?

We use grind stone ofcourse. In the process of washing the bitters out, you pound excessively before blending. My mom uses grinding stone or high powered blender.

ubcandid:

How do you blend?

armyofone:
We use grind stone ofcourse. In the process of washing the bitters out, you pound excessively before blending. My mom uses grinding stone or high powered blender.

Thanks