Ora soup or oha soup is a native Igbo soup and a very delicious soup when prepared with the right recipe. It is one of the most delicious soups in the Eastern part of Nigeria. I'm yet to see an Igbo man who doesn't like ora soup. Some people both male and female love this soup but to cook am na wahala, to some, it takes much time. So I created this thread mainly for people that want to learn how to cook it. So let's go there!

INGREDIENTS:
1) Cocoyam (ede ofe)
2) fresh ora/oha vegetable
3) crayfish
4) knorr cubes
5) ogili Igbo
6) uziza leaf
7) red pepper to taste
salt to taste
9) beef or goat meat, cow skin(kpomo) and tripes
10) dried fish or stockfish or both
11) palm oil


NB: Never use onion in your ora soup

PROCEDURE

-Cook your cocoyam until it softens ( this can take about 30-45 minutes). Peel and pound the cocoyam to get the cocoyam paste
- wash and perboil the meat and dry fish
- Grind your crayfish and pepper
- select and shred the ora leaves with your hands( do not cut with knife), also select,wash and cut the uziza leave

Add about two cups of water to an empty pot, add red oil and allow to boil. When it's already boiling, add the cocoyam paste and leave to dissolve. Add the meat and co with it's stock and other ingredients; crayfish, pepper, knorr cubes, ogili and salt to taste. Let it boil very well before adding the uziza leaf check if it's too thick so you put extra water . Cover for few minutes and finally put the ora leave. Let it boil for just a minute or put before taking it down. Enjoy your ora soup!
I'm open for questions and clarifications.

If you need a more practical way of cooking this soup, check out this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYjLKIB082w
it will be very helpful

Yummy

If you're not from my village you can't get this soup right.

The day I sat and watched my Mom sister ( their last born) prepare this soup was the day I got the secret of the delicious and original taste of "ohran" soup.

Modified
Here are the (few) things she did and added that made the difference.

Apart from the fact that they hardly use beef to cook in the village but bush meat. They also use the original Bonga fish. Mature dried one that taste better than beef and okporoko put together.

She used ( we use in my village) Bonga fish.
Then before she used the Ukpor thickener, she roasted it inside doused firewood ( now charcoal and ashes) fire for some time until we began to perceive the roasted ukpor.

She then crushed and grinded it with the local Miller ( stone) no engine smell or taste. Mehnn that charcoal fire added a powerful flavor to the entire soup. The bonga fish wrapped up every thing.

Now, another thing the roasting did to the thickener is, it made the consistency of the soup very lite instead of the usual pasty and mushy consistency you get with other thickeners.

Of, course the oha leaves are gotten fresh directly from the trees in my grandfather's compound. We have like three of it in the compound.

So, since then, to prepare oha soup in Lagos doesn't move me because getting charcoal fire where I live is an impossible task.

Op, authentic ofe oha is incomplete without nkwu (palm kernel).
My people make the best ofe oha with the most tender, pale green oha leaves.
We had an oha tree.

I remember my grandmother putting her oha leaves on the thatch roof of her old kitchen the night before, and by dawn, the morning dew had made them so fresh, so soft and tender.
They were practically falling off their stalks. urgh! Memories!


Oh! And by the way, to get the real taste of ofe oha, stock fish is not optional.

Mercychen:
If you're not from my village you can't get this soup right.

The day I sat and watched my Mom sister ( their last born) prepare this soup was the day I got the secret of the delicious and original taste of "ohran" soup.

We are here to learn and share, please share with us the secret of the delicious and original taste of ora soup

Mariangeles:
Op, authentic ofe oha is incomplete without nkwu (palm kernel).
My people make the best ofe oha with the most tender, pale green oha leaves.
We had an oha tree.

I remember my grandmother putting her oha leaves on the thatch roof of her old kitchen the night before, and by dawn, the morning dew had made them so fresh, so soft and tender.
They were practically falling off their stalks. urgh! Memories!


Oh! And by the way, to get the real taste of ofe oha, stock fish is not optional.

everyone is entitled to their opinion dear. To say that ora soup is incomplete without palm karnel means you haven't explored other ways of cooking the soup and as for stockfish, it's optional for me. In my village, we prefer the most fresh ora vegetable while preparing this soup. As a matter of fact one can easily pluck the vegetables and use it immediately to prepare soup since we are blessed with many ora trees.

I have equally used palm fruit water instead of normal oil to prepare the soup and it tastes great but that doesn't mean that without palm fruit the ora soup won't come out great. Any good cook that uses the above recipe is sure to produce the most delicious ora soup with or without palm fruit or stockfish

Favour315:


We are here to learn and share, please share with us the secret of the delicious and original taste of ora soup

Sorry. I didn't mean it the way you're taking it.

Mercychen:


Sorry. I didn't mean it the way you're taking it.

No hard feelings dear, just want learn all the learnables so if there is any other thing missing in my own recipe, just add it I will be glad to learn

Favour315:
everyone is entitled to their opinion dear. To say that ora soup is incomplete without palm karnel means you haven't explored other ways of cooking the soup and as for stockfish, it's optional for me. In my village, we prefer the most fresh ora vegetable while preparing this soup. As a matter of fact one can easily pluck the vegetables and use it immediately to prepare soup since we are blessed with many ora trees.

I have equally used palm fruit water instead of normal oil to prepare the soup and it tastes great but that doesn't mean that without palm fruit the ora soup won't come out great. Any good cook that uses the above recipe is sure to produce the most delicious ora soup with or without palm fruit or stockfish

You forgot to add even palm oil to the list of ingredients, that was why I wrote about palm kernel instead.

Favour315:
No hard feelings dear, just want learn all the learnables so if there is any other thing missing in my own recipe, just add it I will be glad to learn

Ok, dear. Will do that in my initial comment.

Thanks.

Mariangeles:


You forgot to add even palm oil to the list of ingredients, that was why I wrote about palm kernel instead.

Thanks for reminding me. I forgot o

Mercychen:
If you're not from my village you can't get this soup right.

The day I sat and watched my Mom sister ( their last born) prepare this soup was the day I got the secret of the delicious and original taste of "ohran" soup.

Modified
Here are the (few) things she did and added that made the difference.

Apart from the fact that they hardly use beef to cook in the village but bush meat. They also use the original Bonga fish. Mature dried one that taste better than beef and okporoko put together.

She used ( we use in my village) Bonga fish.
Then before she used the Ukpor thickener, she roasted it inside doused firewood ( now charcoal and ashes) fire for some time until we began to perceive the roasted ukpor.

She then crushed and grinded it with the local Miller ( stone) no engine smell or taste. Mehnn that charcoal fire added a powerful flavor to the entire soup. The bonga fish wrapped up the every thing.

Now, another thing the roasting did to the thickener is, it made the consistency of the soup very lite instead of the usual pasty and mushy consistency you get with other thickeners.

Of, course the oha leaves are gotten fresh directly from the trees in my grandfather's compound. We have like three of it in the compound.

So, since then, to prepare oha soup in Lagos doesn't move me because getting charcoal fire where I live is an impossible task.

I'm already salivating

Favour315:


I'm already salivating

Lol . Wait until you try it.

I agree with @Mariangeles. The preparation of Oha soup is really not the same if palm kernel and cocoyam are not used. Trust me, I have made Oha soup using different recipes/ingredients but the taste they give is really not as authentic or tasty as the one prepared with the palm kernel and cocoyam. Nothing beats using your freshly extracted palm kernel juice as against using your palm oil and using cocoyam as thickener also give a different taste compared to using offor or other sources as thickener.

Dawadawa or any other dry/moulded local seasoning can also be used and should be roasted before pounding to get that smoky effect.

Stockfish or any other native fish like Mangala, bonga fish etc are a staple in any Igbo soup and shouldn't be omitted because they also a unique taste that they add to any soup being made.

It is also important to post food recipes particularly Nigerian native cuisines just as they should be made, alternatives should only be noted as alternatives in the case where some ingredients might not be easily accessible.

N.B: No offense o, just thought to point out the above since we are all learning �

Favour315:
everyone is entitled to their opinion dear. To say that ora soup is incomplete without palm karnel means you haven't explored other ways of cooking the soup and as for stockfish, it's optional for me. In my village, we prefer the most fresh ora vegetable while preparing this soup. As a matter of fact one can easily pluck the vegetables and use it immediately to prepare soup since we are blessed with many ora trees.

I have equally used palm fruit water instead of normal oil to prepare the soup and it tastes great but that doesn't mean that without palm fruit the ora soup won't come out great. Any good cook that uses the above recipe is sure to produce the most delicious ora soup with or without palm fruit or stockfish

amyuba:
I agree with @Mariangeles. The preparation of Oha soup is really not the same if palm kernel and cocoyam are not used. Trust me, I have made Oha soup using different recipes/ingredients but the taste they give is really not as authentic or tasty as the one prepared with the palm kernel and cocoyam. Nothing beats using your freshly extracted palm kernel juice as against using your palm oil and using cocoyam as thickener also give a different taste compared to using offor or other sources as thickener.

Dawadawa or any other dry/moulded local seasoning can also be used and should be roasted before pounding to get that smoky effect.

Stockfish or any other native fish like Mangala, bonga fish etc are a staple in any Igbo soup and shouldn't be omitted because they also a unique taste that they add to any soup being made.

It is also important to post food recipes particularly Nigerian native cuisines just as they should be made, alternatives should only be noted as alternatives in the case where some ingredients might not be easily accessible.

N.B: No offense o, just thought to point out the above since we are all learning �

Thank you for corroborating my comment.

You know, one of the risks of using palm oil is that if you don't get good quality first grade palm oil, it could affect the taste of the soup negatively.

Another one is you run the risk of adding too much palm oil, so that it does not marry well with the rest of the ingredients, then you're left with excess oil on top of the soup.

Mariangeles:


Thank you for corroborating my comment.

You know, one of the risks of using palm oil is that if you don't get good quality first grade palm oil, it could affect the taste of the soup negatively.

Another one is you run the risk of adding too much palm oil, so that it does not marry well with the rest of the ingredients, then you're left with excess oil on top of the soup.

Noted...But...

Mariangeles:
Op, authentic ofe oha is incomplete without nkwu (palm kernel).
My people make the best ofe oha with the most tender, pale green oha leaves.
We had an oha tree.

I remember my grandmother putting her oha leaves on the thatch roof of her old kitchen the night before, and by dawn, the morning dew had made them so fresh, so soft and tender.
They were practically falling off their stalks. urgh! Memories!
Oh! And by the way, to get the real taste of ofe oha, stock fish is not optional.

You mean she dried the stalk overnight or what? Didn't that also cause the leaves to darken?

Kobojunkie:
You mean she dried the stalk overnight or what? Didn't that also cause the leaves to darken?

No, she’d put it on the thatch roof at night, after sundown, then by morning, dew would fall on them to make them fresh and tender.

Mariangeles:
No, she’d put it on the thatch roof at night, after sundown, then by morning, dew would fall on them to make them fresh and tender.

Make the hard leafs tender or the already pale tender soft leaves tender?

Kobojunkie:
Make the hard leafs tender or the already pale tender soft leaves tender?

It was so that the already soft and tender pale leaves do not wither and lose their freshness, as she was going to use the leaves the next day.

Mariangeles:
It was so that the already soft and tender pale leaves do not wither and lose their freshness, as she was going to use the leaves the next day.

Ok.

But I honestly prefer using freshly plucked ora/oha leaves if I have my way, the taste is heavenly �

Mariangeles:
Op, authentic ofe oha is incomplete without nkwu (palm kernel).
My people make the best ofe oha with the most tender, pale green oha leaves.
We had an oha tree.
.

Does this mean that the non-tender leaves of the Oha tree are of no use in soup?

Kobojunkie:
Does this mean that the non-tender leaves of the Oha tree are of no use in soup?

There are some not-so-tender ones that are still usable.

This bunch below is a very good one.

Mariangeles:
There are some not-so-tender ones that are still usable.

This bunch below is a very good one.

Ok, but what about the non-tender leaves. Can they be blended up and used for soup or something? I mean my guess is they make up about 80% of the Tree.

Kobojunkie:
Ok, but what about the non-tender leaves. Can they be blended up and used for soup or something? I mean my guess is they make up about 80% of the Tree.

No, they cannot be blended for soups(they don’t have any special smell, the texture is the special thing about them).
They cannot even be dried up for later use.

You just take the amount you need, when you need them, and allow nature take its course with the rest.

Mariangeles:
No, they cannot be blended for soups(they don’t have any special smell).
They cannot even be dried up for later use.

You just take the amount you need, when you need them, and allow nature take its course with the rest.

Not even good for a salad.... ?;

Kobojunkie:
Not even good for a salad.... ?;

No Kobo!
Oha leaves cannot be used for salads.

I wonder what kind of a salad that’ll be.
Ewure salads probably.

Mariangeles:
No Kobo!
Oha leaves cannot be used for salads.
I wonder what kind of a salad that’ll be.
Ewure salads probably.

Ewure salad might turn out edible.

Or maybe the leaves can be fermented to make them that way.

Kobojunkie:
Ewure salad might turn out edible.

Or maybe the leaves can be fermented to make them that way.

Kobo, have you eaten oha before?

Mariangeles:
Kobo, have you eaten oha before?

Ofcourse, I love the soup. Only I always feel bad about throwing away so much of the leaves.

Kobojunkie:
Ewure salad might turn out edible.

Or maybe the leaves can be fermented to make them that way.

What is Ewure or Ewu salad ?

Ewure/Ewu is goat. There is goat salad ?
Scratches head and looking at ceiling....