Banga Soup

How to cookBanga Soup (Ofe Akwu)

 

 

THIS IS  A SOUP FROM THE CREEK OF THE NIGER DELTA, MY FRIEND WISDOM WHEN WE ARE IN LANDMARK SOME YEARS AGO DO TELL ME OF A SENSATIONAL SOUP EATING WITH STARCH, LIKE A HUNTER, I WENT ALL OUT TO THE CREEK, AND CAME OUT WITH THIS  DELICASY. AND THIS SOUP GOES WITH ANY OF THESE: Starch, Pounded Yam, Semolina, Garri and Cassava Fufu.

How to Cook Banga Soup/ [Video]

Oil use for this soup is extracted from the fruit of the palm, with a low heat, unlike the palm oil gotten from the same palm fruit under high heat, so oil from banga soup is not a saturated fat

Ingredients for Banga Soup

•             1 kg Palm Fruits or 800g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate

•             Beef

•             Dry Fish

•             Vegetable: Scent Leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed bitter leaves for Delta-style Banga Soup

•             2 medium onions

•             A handful crayfish or 2 tablespoons of ground Crayfish

•             Salt and Chili Pepper (to taste)

•             Ogiri Okpei (Iru)

•             1-2 big stock cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup

1.            Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set aside.

2. If you want to use beef/ dried fish, cook the beef earlier, and if you want to use the dried fish, wash well to avoid sand, then simmer with onion

3.            Scent leave is like magic/ catalyst that speed up taste in the banga soup. The scent leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste. If you are outside Nigeria, don’t mind, use any green vegetable that is edible, spinach will do. But if you leave in the delta region, Delta-style Banga Soup for starch, you should either cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and crushed bitter leaves.

4.            Crush your onion, Pound the crayfish, ogiri okpei and pepper in a mortar and set aside. You can also grind them with a dry mill if you have one.

 

Cooking Directions

1.            Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the heat, keep boiling till u notice the red palm oil on top, allow it to you own consistency, like stew thickness.

2.            Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and leave to boil very well.

3.            Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done. Serve with White Rice or use the Delta-style Banga Soup to eat Starch, Garri, Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.

Cooking Directions for those using tinned palm fruit concentrate

1.            When the beef and fish are well done, add the palm fruit concentrate and add water to get the consistency you like for your stews. Leave to boil very well.

2.            Add the onions, crayfish, pepper and ogiri blend and let it boil very well.

3.            Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done. Some places they have the banga spice, the local in the area, you can add the banga spice and allow to simmer for 2minutes, waooo! You are set

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