BITTERLEAF SOUP

How to cook Bitter leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)

This one drive me like crazy, gotten from my mums kitchen, I was just my mums little kitchen boy, my mum is from the east, an Igbo seasoned woman. She knows her onion

How to Cook Bitter Leaf Soup [Video]

I feel this name is misleading, the soup should not be that bitter, but something to lick the finger after eating and like Oliver twist, looking for more

 

Ingredients

·         Washed and squeezed bitterleaf - A handful

·         Cocoyam – 10 small corms

·         Red Palm Oil – 2 cooking spoons (You may need a bit more)

·         Assorted Beef – Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)

·         Assorted Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish

·         Pepper, Salt and Ground Crayfish (to taste)

·         Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes

·         Traditional Seasoning: Iru or Ogiri - 1 teaspoon

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup

1.    Make sure that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water.

2.     

Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste (as shown).

 

Cooking Directions

1.    Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 liter of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.

2.    Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.

3.     

Finally add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste that you have pounded or blended, which ever one you dim fit for you (in small lumps) use you wooden spatula to dissolve any lumps you fine will the soup simmer.

 

4.    Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.

5.    Add salt to taste and the soup is ready

Serve with Eba, Cassava Fufu, Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.nicolescateringandrecipe.blogspot.comnicolescateringandrecipe.blogspot.com