₦airaland Forum

DrFunmisticGlow:
is this not glorified peppersoup thickened with cocoyam

Yam, not ede-anything.

placeofallure:
Hmm! Never tasted it. I doubt if I ever will.

The thing is no matter how high-to-the-heavens they sing the praise of any food, once I'm not used to it, I'm hardly moved. I'm not experimental about food, not a foodie at all. If you know many of the things I don't eat, you will wonder if I'm human. I don't eat snails, never tasted it. I don't eat chicken or turkey, I don't eat orisirisi meat, just beef and fish, I'd prefer yam and oil over pounded yam anyday, I'd take a bottle of Coke over Maltina anyday. My mum thinks I'm weird but who cares.

Everyone’s weird to someone. Don’t worry about it.

ottersberger:
I'm told it's a Yoruba delicacy. Was I lied to?.

That’s about the dirtiest lie going, let me tell you. If it belongs mutually to any non-Igbos, it’s the Calabars. This is exactly what I was talking about earlier (before my eyes even festered on this comment) but noo. I got done for alleged tribalism.

Prosperity4All:
Then you end up making pepper soup and serving to people as Ofe nsala
You can only learn by humbly asking, not pretending to even be the expert in the room. It's because of people like you that Probz made the statement he did in his first comment on this thread.
Nsala soup isn't different because of the meat like you have been saying. Because other Igbo soups use the same meat. InyiyaAgbaOku was right about you not knowing the ingredients nor how to cook it

Probably my last reply. List the main ingredient in Nsala apart from uziza seed and uda

dvkot:
Probably my last reply. List the main ingredient in Nsala apart from uziza seed and uda

Well, catfish for one thing. You can form a stock-base with whatever meat you want (goat meat, chicken, goose, grouse, venison, turkey/toro-toro, whatever you like in theory) but that catfish as the star-obstacle thing remains. If you’re not doing nsala with catfish as at least one of the proteins, it’s not quite nsala soup. It might be nice and taste right otherwise but it won’t be nsala-proper. Doing it without catfish (or a good alternative) is like Point and Kill without … catfish (likewise) or seafood jambalaya without seafood/prawns.

Probz:
Well, catfish for one thing. You can form a stock-base with whatever meat you want (goat meat, chicken, goose, grouse, venison, turkey/toro-toro, whatever you like in theory) but that catfish as the star-obstacle thing remains. If you’re not doing nsala with catfish as at least one of the proteins, it’s not quite nsala soup. It might be nice and taste right otherwise but it won’t be nsala-proper. Doing it without catfish (or a good alternative) is like Point and Kill without … catfish (likewise) or seafood jambalaya without seafood/prawns.

while I agree with u on the catfish part I disagree with you on other part.
First of is Nsala is a 100% dried or smoked fish soup not fresh fish, u don't use chicken or beef or any other protein just smoked catfish and mangala fish period.
Secondly what I said is that is that if you take away the proteins Nsala soup is not nutritious it can be medicinal but not nutritious.

The Japanese Sushi dish is made of tuna or salmon fish you don't substitute that fish for chicken or turkey or beef and the call it chicken sushi or whatever, No!
That's why I don't take serious alot of the so called YouTube chef that usually teach people rubbish and spoil our traditional food.

dvkot:
while I agree with u on the catfish part I disagree with you on other part.
First of is Nsala is a 100% dried or smoked fish soup not fresh fish, u don't use chicken or beef or any other protein just smoked catfish and mangala fish period.
Secondly what I said is that is that if you take away the proteins Nsala soup is not nutritious it can be medicinal but not nutritious.

The Japanese Sushi dish is made of tuna or salmon fish you don't substitute that fish for chicken or turkey or beef and the call it chicken sushi or whatever, No!
That's why I don't take serious alot of the so called YouTube chef that usually teach people rubbish and spoil our traditional food.

What I’m saying is that even supplementing additional/other meats don’t substitute for catfish (fresh or dry/smoked). That’s not what I’m saying. Not exactly. Meat like goose give off a superb overall flavour for broth/stock to form the base of any stew or soup whatever (better than chicken) and in theory it’s just like adding hot water to Knorr cubes to let the catfish (more-especially if it’s fried and smoked, which is obviously the way you think is traditional and most correct) cook in as-opposed to just-plain water. And on that note jollof rice cooked with goose and its own stock (or goose + Orobo/hard chicken) tastes better than the type that’s cooked with just like chicken, because goose is actually quite a bit tastier than chicken (most people don’t seem to know that and it’s not like goose is the commonest of meats but that needs to change, because goose has like twice the flavour of chicken). And goose jollof rice is a mad vibe (just by the way; just putting it out there). There are some phenomenal cooks out there who can do a lot with goose and toro-toro when it comes to rice.
Likewise, mai-mai/moi-moi tastes better when a few drops of meat stock (chicken, duck, beef, whatever) are added to it, because stock is tastier than plain water. That’s just a basic common-sense fact of cooking and a reason why some people use stock at cooking stages that would otherwise call for like water (liquid gold), to extract maximum taste. I personally think that’s fine with nsala soup but what’s not fine is people using just goat meat or chicken and no catfish or anything like it. Basically, form your stock-base with whatever you want (the more compatible those other meats are with a soup that’s eventually going to occupy catfish, the better) but don’t forget the catfish if you’re committed to actually making ofe-nsala and not just thickened pepper soup. You’re not limited to just water when you’re boiling meat but if the main protein isn’t there, something’s obviously missing.

Probz:
What I’m saying is that even supplementing additional/other meats don’t substitute for catfish (fresh or dry/smoked). That’s not what I’m saying. Not exactly. Meat like goose give off a superb overall flavour for broth/stock to form the base of any stew or soup whatever (better than chicken) and in theory it’s just like adding hot water to Knorr cubes to let the catfish (more-especially if it’s fried and smoked, which is obviously the way you think is traditional and most correct) cook in as-opposed to just-plain water. And on that note jollof rice cooked with goose and its own stock (or goose + Orobo/hard chicken) tastes better than the type that’s cooked with just like chicken, because goose is actually quite a bit tastier than chicken (most people don’t seem to know that and it’s not like goose is the commonest of meats but that needs to change, because goose has like twice the flavour of chicken). And goose jollof rice is a mad vibe (just by the way; just putting it out there). There are some phenomenal cooks out there who can do a lot with goose and toro-toro when it comes to rice.
Likewise, mai-mai/moi-moi tastes better when a few drops of meat stock (chicken, duck, beef, whatever) are added to it, because stock is tastier than plain water. That’s just a basic common-sense fact of cooking and a reason why some people use stock at cooking stages that would otherwise call for like water (liquid gold), to extract maximum taste. I personally think that’s fine with nsala soup but what’s not fine is people using just goat meat or chicken and no catfish or anything like it. Basically, form your stock-base with whatever you want (the more compatible those other meats are with a soup that’s eventually going to occupy catfish, the better) but don’t forget the catfish if you’re committed to actually making ofe-nsala and not just thickened pepper soup. You’re not limited to just water when you’re boiling meat but if the main protein isn’t there, something’s obviously missing.

why are you saying goose? Are u Chinese? Wtf man!
Who the f*ck puts goose in Nsala? Stop spoiling the soup... idc if goose has a good taste it doesn't belong in Nsala.
Smoked catfish, mangala, stock fish, fresh shrimp, small dried fish. That's the only ingredient for Nsala, no more no less. And no goose🤮

Probz:
Yam, not ede-anything.

Same thing.

dvkot:
why are you saying goose? Are u Chinese? Wtf man!
Who the f*ck puts goose in Nsala? Stop spoiling the soup... idc if goose has a good taste it doesn't belong in Nsala.
Smoked catfish, mangala, stock fish, fresh shrimp, small dried fish. That's the only ingredient for Nsala, no more no less. And no goose🤮

I’m just extending the analogy of people cooking nsala with okuko (chicken). Goose is like chicken but with double the tastiness so whatever you cook with chicken or turkey, you can cook with goose, and there was a time when people tended to use goose as the Christmas bird of choice as-opposed to turkey. I’m not saying either or any birds particularly belong in ofe nsala but if ‘chicken nsala’ is the one you gonna do, by all means consider goose as well if you have it.

Probz:
I’m just extending the analogy of people cooking nsala with okuko (chicken). Goose is like chicken but with double the tastiness so whatever you cook with chicken or turkey, you can cook with goose, and there was a time when people tended to use goose as the Christmas bird of choice as-opposed to turkey. I’m not saying either or any birds particularly belong in ofe nsala but if ‘chicken nsala’ is the one you gonna do, by all means consider goose as well if you have it.

stop saying goose nah, are you in Nigeria?

dvkot:
stop saying goose nah, are you in Nigeria?

I won’t stop saying it until you try it for yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing out on, believe me. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Duck and turkey (and lamb and pork) are used to cook in Igboland especially sometimes (turkey’s common anyway) and so can goose if one chooses. Anything that can be cooked with chicken can be cooked with goose and that’s a fact. I have to keep talking about it whether you like it or not.

Goose, goose, goose. Canada goose. Snow goose. Mgbidi goose. Egyptian goose. Goose is the bottom line.

This guy self

mariahAngel:
Your boy might've responded due to some of the (aromatic) spices used in making the soup.
Spices are natural stimulant that promote blood flow, and are medicinal as well.

That soup, as simple as it is, is one the most nutritious and healthiest there is.

I don't think Nsala is a simple soup, unlike Egusi, Ogbono & Okra, you don't need practical learning before one can cook it.

But Nsala needs practical learning.