BITTER LEAF SOUP

The bitter leaf soup popularly referred to as 'Ofe Onugbo' by the Igbo speaking people of Nigeria and ' Orugbo or Marugbo' by the ilaje people of Ondo state, is a highly medicinal soup and its good for the treatment of loss of appetite, fever, cold etc

Ingredients
Assorted meat (Beef, ox tail, shaki, cow leg, goat meat)|
Medium smoked fish
Stock fish
Grounded Crayfish
Maggi cubes
Onion
Dried grounded red hot chilli pepper
Red palm oil
White coco yam
Freshly squeezed or dried bitter leaf
curry, thyme leaves, & salt
water

METHOD OF COOKING
Thoroughly wash the assorted meat in clean water, put in a medium sized pot, add about a cup or two of water and a cube of maggi seasoning, slice the onion and add, salt to taste and your seasoning i.e curry thyme and pepper and bring to boil for about 10 minutes.Thoroughly wash the stock fish with sponge to remove any vestige of sand gain and allow to run under plenty of tap water. The stock fish is best soaked overnight to allow it absorb water and become tender. Cut the stock fish into small bits and add it to the boiling meat. Allow to boil for 5 – 10 minutes.

Add the washed medium smoked fish, and allow the whole mixture of assorted meat, stock fish, and smoked fish to boil for another 5 minutes. Now add about 4 cups of water into the pot of boiling meat and fish, and add about 1 or 2 tablespoonful of dried 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.

At this point, add the palm oil, and already cooked and mashed cocoyam to thicken the soup. Where you can not get coco yam a sprinkle of garri would do the same.

Add salt, and pepper to taste again, and allow to cook for 10 minutes.

Your bitter leaf soup is ready to eat.

The Ilaje people of Ondo state Nigeria, has their unique way of cooking the Bitter leaf soup and they use only fresh fish instead of meat, stock fish etc that the igbos use, and they don't add coco yam to the soup instead the fish can be mashed to give the required thickness.

OGBONO SOUP

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Meat or chicken, (cooked, and cut into small pieces) Fresh or smoked fish Ponmo Palm oil Tomatoes optional pepper 'dried' onion (ground or chopped) maggi cubes. ground ogbono,use as much as the thickness desired. salt ground pepper Vegetable 'ugwu' optional Okro 'optional'

place a pot on fire and add a palm oil needed to cook the soup and add the ogbon. stir very well to avoid any lump. set aside and put another pot on fire. put water in the pot and add the dried pepper, cooked meat, fish, ponmo, onions and allow to cook for at least 5 - 7 mins. Meanwhile, mix the ground ogbono with the palm oil and add to the boiling mixture, stirring very well to avoid lumps. Add the seasoning and if you desire to add okro and vegetable, you may add it now Cook on medium heat for 15 -20 minutes or until desired thickness. Variation: okro, bitter-leaf, ugwu, okazie, can be added to the ogbono 10 minutes before it is cooked. But if you use okro, leave longer. It takes longer time to cook. The most important thing about adding these leaves is to make the soup more tasty and nutritious. Serve with tuwo, funfun, eba, amala, garri, fufu or even pounded yam

EGUSI SOUP

INGREDIENT Meat or Fish 'dry' tomatoes onion peppers 'atarodo & tatase magi cubes palm oil 1 cup of ground egusi 'if not grounded with pepper' Salt to taste

Boil the meat but if its fish make sure its dry and keep it aside. Ground the tomatoes, peppers and onions together with the melon if its not yet grounded(you will need to add some water). Pour the pepper into a pot add salt and palm oil and allow to cook for 10 - 15 mins. then add the meat or fish, If your egusi is not grounded with the pepper you will need to add the grounded egusi before you add the meat or fish. Now add your seasoning to taste Cook for 20 minutes Your egusi 'melon' soup is ready to be served

OBE ATA

Fresh tomatoes and pepper i;e atarodo & tatase
Meat/Chicken/Fish
Palm oil or vegetable oil, whichever you like
magi cubes
onions
Salt
Seasoning
Water

1. Place the meat in a pot, add very little water (most meat produces water as it cooks), dice one onion in with the meat, add some salt, seasoning and cook the meat until it is almost tender.
2. If you are using fresh ingredients, grind the tomatoes and the peppers together with onion.
3. Pour the vegetable or palm oil into a pot already on fire and add the blended tomato mixture and allow to cook for at least 20 minutes. You may then add the boiled meat or chicken, but if you are using fish, you need not pre cook it because of the tender nature of fish so that all the nutrient is not lost in the process of cooking.
4. Allow to cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste for salt and add seasoning.

Obe ata can be eaten with either amala, garri, fufu or even pounded yam and rice

BANGA SOUP

• INGREDIENTS
  
• Assorted meat (Goat meat, beef, cowtail, shaki, bush meat if available)
• Smoked or Fresh Fish depending on your choice
  
• Pepper (Dried and ground)
• Ataieko and igeriejae spices
• Onions
• Maggi cube
• Curry & Thyme
• Salt
• Egusi 'melon' or Okro (optional)
  
• Bitter leaf ' dried'
  
• Crayfish (dried) or shrimps
• Palm nut sauce

PREPARATION

Put the washed and cleaned assorted meat in a pot. Add a few cups of water, onions, curry, thyme, maggi cube seasonings and salt to taste. Bring to boil for about 15- 20minutes.

Add the pre-soaked and washed dried (smoked) fish and boil for another 5 minutes.

Now add the palm nut cream sauce and add about one and a half part water to a can of the palm nut sauce. Add about one to two tablespoonful of dried pepper according to how much pepper or hot spice you can tolerate.

Include tomatoes puree, grounded onion, maggi cubes and dried crayfish. For real exotic African taste, add about half teaspoonful of grounded ataieko and igeriejae spices. Some would include dried bitter leaf. Add salt again, to taste.

Allow to boil for another 10 -15 minutes.

Some would add okro to thicken the soup if using dried fish, or grounded egusi (melon) if using fresh fish.

You may also decide to use chicken.

What makes this soup unique is the fresh taste and aroma of palm nut. This soup can be served with either pounded yam, garri, elubo lafun/amala or fufu. Any one you choose to serve banga soup with is always a great delicacy anytime any day.

IKOKORE

INGREDIENTS
water yam.
tomato puree
onion
fresh pepper(ground)
locust beans
meat or chicken stock.
palm oil
smoked dry fish
magi cubes
Salt,
Prawn 'If desire'
(and condiments if desired)

INSTRUCTIONS.
Peel water yam.
Wash the yam, and grate it.
put a deep cooking pot on fire and put water
Add all the ingredients except fish.
Remove the bones in the fish, break it, and wash.
Add the fish to the mixture.
Now scoop the grated water yam bit by bit into the boilling soup
and cover to cook for 3o minute
ensure there is plenty of water in the soup and add salt.
Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 30-40 minutes until yam is cooked.
Serve hot.

I need to start putting up recipe to the blog, but i wanted something very unique and explanatory, so im going to take my time and source for articles to make your stay on this blog worthwhile. So look out for delicious Nigerian food recipe only on 9jagist.com