Ofe Onugbu (Bitter Leaf Soup)
Ofe onugbu, or bitterleaf soup, is a traditional Nigerian soup commonly eaten by the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria. It is prepared with thoroughly washed bitter leaves, meat, palm oil, local spices, and a thickener such as cocoyam, achi, or ofor. The soup is known for its rich flavor and slightly bitter taste. Serve with a swallow, such as pounded yam, eba (garri), or wheat meal.
Source and licence
"Ofe Onugbu (Bitter Leaf Soup)" from the Wikibooks Cookbook (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Ofe_Onugbu_(Bitter_Leaf_Soup), revision 4523757), by its contributors (https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Cookbook:Ofe_Onugbu_(Bitter_Leaf_Soup)&action=history), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Read the original CC-BY-SA-4.0 Revision 4523757
What was changed: Reformatted by FoodByNation from the wiki page: ingredients and steps extracted, links and templates removed, diet notes detected from the ingredients. This adaptation is also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Ingredients
- 1–2 cups bitterleaf
- 300 g assorted meat (beef, tripe, cow skin)
- 1 small piece stockish (optional)
- 1–2 pieces dried fish (optional)
- 2–3 tablespoons palm oil
- 1 tablespoon ground crayfish
- 2-3 Seasoning cubes
- 1-2 tablespoons Salt (to taste)
- 1-2 tablespoons ground Pepper (fresh or dried)
- 1 tablespoon ogiri or iru (fermented locust beans, optional)
- 3–5 small cocoyam pieces or 2 tablespoons achi powder (as thickener)
Method
- Wash the bitter leaves thoroughly, squeezing and rinsing several times to reduce the bitterness. Set aside.
- In a pot, combine the assorted meat, stockfish, dryfish, salt, seasoning cubes, and chopped onions. Cover with water, and simmer until the meat is tender.
- Add palm oil and allow it to melt into the meat stock.
- If using cocoyam, boil it separately, peel, blend into a paste, and stir into the soup as a thickener. If using achi or ofor powder, stir directly into the pot.
- Stir in the ground crayfish, pepper, ogiri, and ground crayfish.
- Stir in the washed bitter leaves.Allow to simmer for 5–10 minutes until the soup thickens and the flavors combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.